My Immortal
by mabelreid
Summary: Post Elephant's Memory. There was a witness to what the football team did to Reid. After all this time,this person's taking revenge on Reid's tormentors, in his name. Now, Dr. Reid must go home and face memories that have haunted him for years.
1. You can't escape the past

_A/n hello all. This story takes place between "Elephant's Memory and Lo-fi." This was begun before we were informed of JJ's pregnancy. She will be with Will although he doesn't appear in this story, and this will be Reid and Emily._

_Disclaimer: See the new disclaimer on my profile._

_Warnings: See the warning on my profile._

_**You can't escape the past**_

The moon was bone-white in the black night sky. They always say you can see the man in the moon if you look hard enough. That night, it looked like the de-fleshed skull of an alien dragon that hadn't quite made it to earth before succumbing to the freezing vacuum of space.

The stars were only vague shadows, drowned out by the light pollution from the city that lived below that ivory skull. Midnight was falling softly, dropping down over the desert like summer rain. The street was black, except for the street lights that punched holes of light into the halfway point between night and morning. The strip was miles away. There was only one casino on this street, the Golden Stetson. Its lights were one monotonous tone of gold and half of them were out. The lights on the sign that was shaped like a huge cowboy hat buzzed and flickered as though the establishment had forgotten to pay its utility bill.

The street was silent, except for the occasional car that passed through the neighborhood at a speed that suggested the drivers were ashamed to be there. They entered and exited at a rate of about one every thirty minutes.

The alleyway was black, but the one that moved within the ebony shadows and stinking garbage, didn't fear the dark. The night was a friend and so was midnight. The "gift," left for the police, didn't care about the night, she was dead. She was dead and naked. Her clothes had been removed before he had brought her here. He arranged the kill in just the right manner, before standing back and observing this work of art in the soft, white light of the moon. It was perfect and beautiful. It was too bad that everyone in the city wouldn't have the chance to see what he'd had wrought. Oh well…

He stood looking at the woman for a few more agonizingly sweet moments. This was good! She deserved her fate. She'd had it coming for years. She was only the first of many to come. He wasn't upset, having to leave his art behind him. After all… it wouldn't be too long before the police would call in help, and that would mean that…

He shivered with anticipation and turned away into the night. The walk in the moonlight was pleasant. The inhabitants of the night that would have preyed on a lone person walking those streets, stayed back as though afraid. He was pleased, it had been years in the making, but respect had finally been won. Soon… he would have all that should have been before it all went wrong.

--

Spencer stepped off the elevator at precisely nine am. It was Monday morning and the sun was shining. The sky was a deep, royal blue, in contrast to the white, fluffy clouds. It was a beautiful spring day and he was stuck inside.

The bull pen was crowded and noisy, with the sound of agents on phones and the ever present click-clack of computer keys. Morgan was talking to Emily when he got to his desk.

"… So I told her she'd get better response if she showed him her badge."

Emily snorted, "What did she say to that?"

"She threw her scotch in my face and flounced out." He admitted.

"You have such away with women." Emily shook her head.

Reid stashed his ready and messenger bags under his desk. It sounded like Morgan had managed to chase off another girlfriend.

"Hey Reid… how was your weekend? Any new women in your life," He smirked at his friend?

"My weekend was fine…"

"Sounds boring," Morgan observed.

"It wasn't," Reid said shortly.

"Hey… I'm just trying to have a conversation here."

"If you must know, I read four books, watched a Star Trek marathon on the Sci-fi channel, Saturday night I went on a blind date that was an utter disaster, and I went to two Beltway Clean Cops meetings. Are you satisfied?"

"Yeah…Why don't you back up to the blind date?" Morgan said with a grin.

"I don't want to talk about it." Reid insisted.

"Come on it can't have been that bad. Was she ugly?"

"No… she wasn't ugly." Reid was fingering his coffee mug.

"Then what was the problem?" Morgan probed.

"Leave him alone Morgan… He doesn't want to talk about it." Emily said.

"Morgan, Prentiss, Reid… I need you in the conference room now." Hotch said from upper walkway that encircled the bull pen. Rossi and JJ stood next to him.

"Duty calls…" Morgan grabbed a pen and followed Emily and Reid up the stairs. "Don't think this is over," He warned the younger agent.

They took their places around the table and JJ began her presentation. "Las Vegas is looking for a serial killer."

"Sweet… we get to go to Reid's home town." Morgan said.

"Focus please…" Hotch ordered.

"There have been five victims so far, two women and three men." JJ continued.

"Wait… Why do the cops think this is the same killer?" Morgan interrupted.

"It's unusual for a serial to killer to cross gender lines." Emily added.

"Not necessarily, if the killings aren't sexually motivated then it's possible," Reid said.

"Reid's right…" JJ said, changing the picture on the screen.

The nude body of a blond woman popped on screen. She was untouched except for the noose around her neck. The flesh around the rope was swollen and purple. She was posed against a blue dumpster, sitting with her legs splayed and her arms next to her sides. Her hair was shorn off, with the scalp showing pink in some places. There was a photograph next to her that looked like it was cut from a newspaper, or a book.

"Hey Reid… What's wrong," Rossi asked the younger agent, who'd gone white.

"JJ…" He swallowed hard. "Can you enhance that picture?" He squeaked.

"Reid… What the hell…" Morgan grumbled.

"In a minute Morgan…" Reid dismissed him. He got up on shaking legs and went to the projection on the wall. He closed his eyes took in a deep breath, let it out and opened his eyes. The picture was still there, only bigger. Even with the distortion in the features he recognized her.

"I can't…" Something clicked in his throat as a thousand terrible memories and emotions began to stir up in his head. Images of things he'd long forgotten, and things that wouldn't leave him alone even in his deepest dreams, began to surface.

"Reid…" Hotch's voice snapped through the fog like a bullwhip.

"I can't be on this case. I'll have to stay here. You have to go without me." The world looked like he was seeing it through the bottom of a soda bottle, pulled out of shape and milky.

"Reid…" Hotch said tightly and the others fell silent. "Explain yourself now." His boss demanded in clipped tones.

The world snapped back into focus for a minute at his bosses annoyed tone. "I'm sorry Hotch… I know the victim. I can't compromise the case."

JJ put a hand on his arm and smiled up at him. "You know her," She asked.

"Yeah… The rules say that if an agent has a personal connection to the victim they -"

"Don't quote regulations at me." Hotch stared the young man down. "I need my team together on this."

"But Hotch…"

"Reid… Did you have some kind of relationship with the victim recently?" His boss asked.

"No, I haven't seen her in fourteen years," Reid said flatly.

"Then how can you be sure you know her. You would have been -"

"I was twelve and just about to graduate from high school."

Something seemed to leap into Morgan's eyes and Emily gave him a strange look. "Reid… What's her name?" Morgan asked.

"It's Harper… Her name is Harper Hillman."

"Jesus…" Morgan said.

--

Hotch led Reid to his office and told him to sit down. The older agent took a seat across the desk from Reid and folded his hands on the green blotter in front of him.

"Alright… start from the beginning." Hotch said.

"I'd prefer not to go into it." Reid said. He was fidgeting with the sleeve of the charcoal gray dress shirt he wore.

"I don't care what you prefer not to get into. This is not a democracy Reid. You are an agent of this bureau and I am your Unit Chief. If you have information that is vital to this investigation, you better give it to me or I'll have you up on charges. Do I make myself clear?"

The wide-eyed young man in front of him went even whiter if that were possible. "I'm not withholding anything about the investigation." He insisted.

"You know the victim-"

"Victims… I know the victims. JJ was going to tell us the second woman was Alexa Lisbon."

Hotch opened the file folder and scanned the names of the victims. Spencer was right… the other woman on the list was Alexa Lisbon.

"Reid…" He said in a dangerous tone.

"You know… I wish that just for once I could keep all the bad memories out of my job." Reid had suddenly shot up from his chair and was standing over Hotch's desk.

"What happened with these two women?" Hotch asked again.

So Reid dropped back down in his chair, and told him the same story he'd told Morgan during their most recent case in Texas. "I don't want the others to know about it. It's bad enough that Morgan knows."

"You wouldn't have confided in him if you didn't trust him." Hotch was still sitting bolt upright in his chair.

His hands hadn't moved except to clench tighter together during Reid's story. The knuckles of his fingers had gone white. His face was as stony as ever, but some compassion had crept up into his dark eyes and he regretted the harsh words he'd said to his young friend.

"I'm sorry I was so short with you. I'm concerned for you."

"Hotch I promise you… I've been going to meetings every day we're not on a case. I'm okay."

"That's not what I meant…" Hotch said. Now it was Reid who stared him down. "Okay… So I am concerned about that…" He unclenched his hands and relaxed visibly. "I trust you Reid… If I didn't you wouldn't be on this team."

"I don't know what is going on Hotch. I need more information."

"Then let's go back and finish the briefing."

--

The man hummed as he worked. The list was getting shorter, but that didn't matter. There was still plenty to do before it was complete. There was plenty to keep him busy until he had what he most wanted! The clock on the wall read midnight. There was so much to do and so little time to do it.

"Please…" The voice whispered behind him. "I have a lot of money. I'll give you what ever you want!"

"Oh… I know you will…" The man said. "Now… let's play a little game, shall we."


	2. Coming home

_A/n hello all. I'm so pleased with the reviews you've been kind enough to leave. Mucho thanks to all who've added this to your alerts or favorites._

_Disclaimer: Please see the first chapter_

_Warnings: Please see the first chapter_

_**Coming home.**_

Hotch and Reid re-entered the conference room with Garcia on their heels. "Reid has something he'd like to tell you?" Hotch said, while taking his place at the table. Garcia slipped in between Rossi and Emily.

"Reid… You don't have to do this. We can find a way to catch this freak without you -"

"It's okay Morgan." Reid faced the rest of the team. "I know the first two victims. We went to high school together in Vegas."

He took a deep breath and told them the story. His voice began to crack when he saw one tear slid down Garcia's cheek. It was a hundred times more difficult to tell it the third time, than it had been the first time. The faces of his teammates who hadn't heard the story were rigid in shock, except for Garcia's who was red faced and weeping.

"Do you believe that someone is taking revenge in your name?" Rossi asked in the silence that followed Reid's tale,

"I don't know. As I said to Hotch, I need more information."

JJ resumed her presentation. "The next victim was Brent Howard."

"He was on the football team," Reid said dully, resignation in his large eyes.

"The next man is Jerome Carter, and the most recent victim is Allen Preston." JJ put her remote down and took a seat on the other side of Emily.

"So he's crossing gender and racial lines." Rossi observed.

"We have three Caucasians, and two African American victims," Morgan added while flipping through his set of crime scene photos. "What's the motive here? No offense Reid… But if you were the un-sub, the motive would make sense."

"Morgan…" Emily snapped at him, slamming her file down on the table.

"It's okay Emily…" Reid took his seat next to Hotch, "He's right… All the men were on the football team. They all took part in humiliating me. The girls were the bait to get me out there in the first place."

"I get that but-"

"I'm okay…" He assured her.

"Wheels up in thirty minutes," Hotch left with Rossi, and Morgan left with Emily.

They left Reid alone with Garcia, who was watching him closely. She wiped at her eyes, which were starting to get puffy and sniffed. "Hey sweet boy… You okay?"

"Yeah… I'm okay…"

"You wouldn't lie to me would you?" She moved from her seat and sat down next to him.

"I wouldn't dare… You scare me too much!"

"It's a good thing you're cute." She lightly slapped his upper shoulder, and then hugged him tight enough to crack a couple of ribs.

"Garcia… I -"

"It's okay…" She let him go and pretended not to notice the way his voice had begun to crack again. "Now, what's the name of your high school? Let's get a run down on the rest of the football team. Can you remember the names of the kids that were there?"

She reached over the table and dragged her laptop to sit in front of her eager hands. Those hands flexed and stretched as though she were a concert pianist about to give a concert at Carnegie Hall. She was trying so hard to bring some normalcy to a nightmare. He loved her for it.

"Okay… Let's see what we can find out before you guys leave…" She smiled up at him and some of the stress that had been holding him down released its hold over him.

"Alright… I don't remember all of the names, but we can start with the quarter back Steven Jones."

--

The plane angled up into the sky as the sun set on the east coast. It raced the night as it arrowed west at just over six hundred miles an hour.

JJ was on the phone in the back of the plane, waiting for new information to be faxed to them from Detective Anna Sorenson, the lead detective in Vegas. Emily and Reid sat together, with Morgan and Rossi across the table from them. Hotch was across the aisle and one row back, with his file open on his lap.

"Okay… so the women died of strangulation, more specifically he hanged them both and it was a slow death, as neither of their necks were broken. The men were beaten to within an inch of their lives and then they were shot in the head and the face. This is personal." Rossi was commenting.

"Yeah… personal for Reid," Morgan commented.

"Morgan… Please…"

"I'm not trying to be rude Emily… I'm just saying that all the victims have a connection to our genius. Look at the way they're posed in the pictures. All the male victims were tied to something at the dump sites. He leaves them standing up, just like they left Reid on that football field. It doesn't take a genius to see where this is going. Sorry Reid…."

"Morgan's right, the positioning of the body is familiar." Reid was studying the photographs and chewing on his lower lip.

"The women were tied up, too." Rossi said with a frown.

"The knots are the same in all the victims, including the noose. That's weird." Reid said, comparing close-ups of how the men were tied and the nooses around the women's necks.

"Yeah… wouldn't you use a slip knot for a noose?" Morgan agreed.

"Maybe they were manually strangled and made to look like they were hung." Emily theorized.

"Their necks weren't broken, so it's possible. Dave… you and I need to talk to the coroner when we get to Vegas." Hotch said. "Emily… Take Reid with you and check out the crime scenes. JJ and Morgan, I need you to talk to the families of the victims."

"It's interesting that all five of them still lived in Las Vegas." Emily said.

"Why is that interesting." Morgan asked.

"Well… don't people scatter to the four winds after graduation? Some die, some move away, some stay where they were born…"

"Actually… It depends on what area of the country you're from. Some areas that have great economic challenges lose their new graduates to better colleges in other states, or -"

"Reid…" Hotch said mildly, but there was a tiny hint of smile on his face if you knew how to look for it.

"Sorry…"

JJ came back to her seat and placed a fax in front of Hotch. "This was just faxed in from Detective Sorenson. Maxwell Hayden is missing."

Reid's eyebrows went into his hair. "Maxwell Hayden was on the team too." He whispered.

"Reid…"

"Hotch I know what you're going to say and I…"

"I know how your mind works. This isn't you're fault."

"How can you say that…? There is some seriously disturbed individual out there that's punishing everyone involved with what happened to me fourteen years ago!"

"We don't know that…"

"Hotch… How do you explain that I know all these people?"

"We're going to work this without preconceived notions. Work the profile Reid… Think about these people and how they were related without putting your personal feeling into the mix. I know all of this is bringing up some very bad memories and recollections that you'd rather not deal with, but I need you on this case. I need all of you!"

Reid pursed his lips in thought then seemed to come to a decision. He nodded and Hotch went back to his file.

The computer sitting on the table beeped impatiently. "Hey handsome," Garcia's smiling face popped into view as she addressed Reid.

"Hey Garcia…"

"I found some interesting information for you about the latest abductees." She said like something bad had taken up residence in her mouth.

"Some good news would be nice, Garcia."

"I don't know if it's good news sweet pea."

"Don't keep us in suspense, Baby girl." Morgan spoke up.

"Well… I tracked his credit card and he flew into Las Vegas this morning."

"Where did the flight originate." Reid asked looking a bit surprised.

"Omaha Nebraska," Garcia revealed as though the telling of it were some great state secret. "He's an insurance salesman. He's employed with Empire Life and has traveled all over the country for the last five years."

"So the un-sub had to know that he was coming into town." Reid theorized.

"It sounds possible. I'll keep digging for you guys."

"Thanks Garcia…"

The pilot came over the intercom to tell them he was beginning the descent into Las Vegas. They stowed away laps tops and files. Reid watched the clouds. He never could figure out if the clouds were moving faster in the sky, or if it was the plane that moved with more speed. Why did it matter?

"Are you excited…? Well I guess excited isn't the word to use…" Emily asked Reid. "I mean… Are you anxious to be coming back home?"

"I know that in light of what's happened I should be anxious… Would you believe me if I told you that I don't really feel anything one way or the other?"

"Yeah… I can understand that…" Emily said.

Reid smiled a little and said "One thing I don't miss, is the heat."

"It shouldn't be too hot… It's only the second week of May." Morgan said as though he were sure.

"It's the desert Morgan… it's not going to be forty degrees. Fortunately, it's May and not August." Reid countered.

"I'll take your word for it." Morgan said.

Reid went back to watching the clouds float by his window. His ears popped as the pressure changed during descent. His mind wanted to go to the case and dwell on it like normal, but he found that his thoughts kept skipping away from that part of his conscious mind like stones thrown across a pond.

The flight's descent seemed never-ending, and then the plane touched down, and it was time to go get reacquainted with Las Vegas once again.

--

The team de-planed as soon as the jet finished taxiing to one end of the runway. There was a large black SUV parked at an angle about fifty yards from the plane. A red haired woman in faded jeans and a black silk tee-shirt was leaning up against the vehicle. Her eyes were covered with large black sunglasses that made her resemble a beetle. She was thinner than Reid and about JJ's height. Her hair was tied back in a pony tail and she wore black running shoes. Her badge was attached to her leather belt. She pushed away from the truck and waved casually at them.

The team had all donned sunglasses to ward off the glare of the sun. They met the detective halfway to her truck. "I'm Special Agent Jennifer Jareau, and this is SSA Hotchner and SSA Rossi," She introduced herself and the others in turn while pointing them out to the detective. "This is Dr. Reid, SSA Morgan, and SSA Prentiss."

"Nice to meet ya," She responded with a thick southern drawl. "My name's Detective Sorenson. I'm glad ta have ya here."

"We came as quickly as we could." Hotch said. They headed toward the car. "JJ gave us the latest information on your missing person."

"He never showed up for a sales conference his company was havin' at the Luxor Hotel. They called us and frankly we told them the same thing we always do."

"You can't do anything for forty-eight hours." Hotch added.

"Yep… but then your technical analyst gave us the connection y'all came up with, the football team and all and we knew that he was the next victim."

Reid winced at the detective's choice of the word victim. He couldn't have someone else killed because of him. He couldn't allow it. That was something that none of the team would ever understand. He'd been content to sit still on the plane, but now that they were on the ground, he found himself possessed of the need to find this sick bastard and…

"We have more information for you regarding that." Hotch told her as she pulled out of the airport and merged into traffic headed to the city. His calm tone pulled Reid back to present and the job he had to do.

"Well… ain't that somethin', because I got some information for you too."


	3. Taking the first steps

_A/n hello all! I'm so excited by all the positive feed back you've all been kind enough to give me. The muse is happy too. She likes reviews and story alerts!_

_Disclaimer: See first chapter_

_Warning: See first chapter_

_**Taking the first steps **_

Detective Sorenson led the team into the noisy bullpen of her precinct. Most of the officers were either on the phone, doing paperwork, or booking prisoners. A couple of the detectives were staring at the agents with marked curiosity and distrust.

They headed all the way to the back of the barracks, and into a small, and poorly lit conference room. Metal chairs sat on a concrete floor. "Home sweet Home, ladies and gentlemen," The detective quipped. "Unfortunately… this is one of the oldest police barracks in the city. We don't have many comforts, just really bad coffee and day old donuts."

Despite the situation everyone smiled, except for Hotch, but Emily thought that maybe his eyes were less hard than ten minutes ago.

"We've worked in worse conditions," Rossi told her.

"I'll just bet ya have. Now… we got a Richard Levinson from the Las Vegas Sun that's been callin' me at least twice a day since the second victim was found."

"JJ will talk to him. She's our mother bear when it comes to the press." Rossi told Detective Sorenson. JJ grinned.

"You look like a wolf that just killed dinner," Detective Sorenson observed with a wink.

"JJ's a little scary, but she gets the job done." Morgan remarked and was smacked on the head by JJ who was sitting next to him.

"What did I do?"

"You know…" JJ said.

The others laughed. "Alright… Detective what did you want to tell us." Hotch settled the team, but a tiny smile crossed his face.

"Maxwell Hayden was picked up at the airport at ten am this morning. The driver of the Red Cab that picked him up is unknown to the dispatch operator that was on duty at the time. The cab was pre-scheduled to pick Hayden up and take him to the Luxor. When he missed the welcome lunch meeting two hours later, he was reported missin'. The driver that was supposed to pick him up has gone missin' too."

"Did anyone at the airport get a look at the driver?" Rossi asked.

"I talked to security… They sent over their tapes from the time frame we need."

"JJ… Make sure Garcia gets them," Hotch ordered.

"Yes sir…"

"We also learned that the first victim was a resident of our fair city. Her boyfriend told us that she was supposed to have returned from a business trip in Washington DC …"

Reid sucked in a deep breath and went white as a corpse. "You okay slim," Detective Sorenson asked. Her eyes were dark blue, and the careless mirth that had inhabited them fled, as she watched the young agent struggle to control his emotions.

"I'm sorry… it's a little strange to think of Harper Hillman in DC."

"You okay Reid," Morgan asked.

"Yeah… let's just talk this through." He dismissed their concern with a wave of his hand.

"That's alright with me, slim." Detective Sorenson said. "Now… Ms. Hillman disappeared two months ago the same afternoon she arrived here from DC. Her body was found two days later. The second victim, Alexa Lisbon, disappeared two weeks later. She was found in another alley two days later. Brent Howard lived here in Vegas, and he disappeared from his home one week after Ms Lisbon was found. He was unmarried and worked as a stage hand at Bally's. He was found twenty four hours later, tied to a telephone pole one street east of the Strip. Jerome Carter was taken three days later. He was also employed by Bally's as a dealer. He was found one day later tied standing up to a fire escape in an alleyway just off the Strip. Allen Preston was an up and coming lawyer for Barnes, Silverstein, Lamb, and Cohen. He was supposed to meet his girlfriend for dinner four days ago and didn't make it. He was found less than twelve hours later. The killer tied him to a the emergency exit of the stage doors at Bally's."

"He's escalating rapidly." Reid observed.

"Yes… I'd say we're not going to find Maxwell Hayden alive." Rossi sighed.

Reid's head lifted from his file and he narrowed his eyes at the senior profiler. "I don't think we should…"

"Reid…" The older man snapped. "Now is not the time to indulge in blind hope. You know what the profile is telling us. He's a mission based killer. He's taking out everyone that was involved with the attack on you."

"Dave…" Hotch turned on his friend.

"I'm tired of babying Reid. The fact is that this killer is going after these people because of Reid. We need to know what Reid knows about the un-sub."

"I don't know anything…"

"Back off Rossi…"

"Come on Rossi, I'm sure that if Reid…"

"He's not keeping anything from us…"

All of the team was speaking at the same time except for Reid, who was just sitting there staring at the picture of Maxwell Hayden.

"Enough…" Detective Sorenson shouted them down and then went a little pink in the cheeks, "Sorry, but y'all were gettin' pretty loud and we aren't getting anywhere."

"The detective is right… Dave is right too…" Hotch held his hands up to stave off the next round of yelling from the team.

"We have to be objective, or we won't find him." A soft voice said. They all turned to look at Reid. His voice was cracking badly. "Let's do what we need to do."

His eyes were shining, but he blinked back tears before they fell. His lower lip was trembling and he bit it hard.

"Okay… let's split up and get to work." Hotch said.

--

JJ had opted to get a press conference ready for that night at 6 pm. Hotch and the locals thought it was best to try and warn the rest of the football team by going on air with a preliminary profile. There were details that would have to be suppressed, but JJ knew how to spin the press to their advantage.

The three women left the room together. Detective Sorenson leaned into Emily and said. "How do you work with Slim around all the time?"

"What…" Emily asked looking very confused.

"Slim… Dr. Reid… He looks like a strong wind would blow him away, but he's cute."

"Um… well… I guess…" Emily started to answer.

"You guess… Woman… Are you blind?"

"No…"

Morgan strode up to Emily. "Come on Prentiss… it's you and I since JJ ditched me for the press."

"Oh yeah…" Emily followed Morgan and looked back at the detective when they reached the door. The red haired woman winked at her and then disappeared back into the bull pen.

--

The man stood in front of Maxwell Hayden. "You were the big man on campus, you dated one of the prettiest girls in school. You thought you were so tough… didn't you!" He shouted down at the man tied to the metal chair in front of him. His fist flashed out and crashed into Maxwell's face.

Hayden couldn't even moan anyway. His face was battered nearly to jelly. There was so much blood, he looked as though he'd been in a car accident, a brutal football game and attacked by a mountain lion all at the same time.

"You make me sick!" The man hit Maxwell again.

"Look at you… You bastard…" The sound of a fist on flesh echoed through the room. It was the only sound, except for the man's hard breathing.

"I shouldn't kill you. I should make you suffer the way you made Spencer suffer."

He let the knife in his hands catch the yellow light that fell on both of them. It glinted off the polished silver of the blade like starlight. The knife was so sharp it could cut through paper and hair, or sever the jugular to the bone.

Maxwell began to moan and twist in his chair. "You're still as fit and strong as you were in high school. You were over six feet tall and two hundred pounds. Spencer was a twelve year old kid who didn't have a chance against you and your Neanderthal friends. Did you think for one moment what you were doing? Was it fun for you? Did you get off on it?"

"I… I didn't… Why are you…?" Maxwell tried to speak, but he could only whisper through cracked lips.

"Shut up!" The man shouted and raked the knife across the man's cheek opening it to the bone.

Maxwell wailed and tears began to roll over the bruises and blood on his cheeks. "Yeah… you should cry. Spencer Reid is twice the man you are. He was twice the kid. You hated him because he was smarter than all of you."

Maxwell tried to summon his voice and the man hit him again and again. Maxwell was unconscious when the man decided that it was time to kill him.

The blood was warm and red. He laughed when it spread over his hands. "Now… you will do something with your life. You'll bring me one step closer to Spencer."

He untied the dead man and pulled him to the floor and the trap that lined it. It was time for Maxwell Hayden to be found!

--

The team had quit for the night. Hotch had forced Reid to go to the motel that JJ had booked for them after he and Rossi returned from talking to the coroner. They had found that the women had been manually strangled then made to look like hangings. There was nothing else they could add to the investigation, though. Emily and Morgan had struck out as well. They waited after JJ's press conference, but the unsub didn't bite this time.

Reid thought about this while sitting at the small desk at one end of the room, looking at more crime scene pictures. The double bed behind him called to him, but he ignored it. Sleep was something he was going to live without. There had to be something that he was missing.

There was a knock at his door. He thought about ignoring it, but the person didn't go away. Then he heard her voice through the door. What was she doing here?

He opened the door, and Emily stood there looking frazzled and angry at the same time. "What took you so long to answer the door?"

"Emily… I know we haven't had much time to talk…"

"I'm not in the mood to talk Spencer Reid." She pushed him away from the door and slammed it shut behind her.

"Emily… Rossi's in the next room and…"

"Shut up Spencer!"

She grabbed his tie and pulled him in for a kiss. He pushed back against her after several breathless minutes. "Emily…"

"I told you to shut up…" She said, panting for breath. "I'm not interested in your brain, or anything you have to say. I don't care about the case or anything else. I'm only interested in your body Spencer."

She pushed him down on the bed. They wrestled each other for control while ripped clothing hit the floor. She wanted it hard, fast, and brutal. He let her do what she wanted because she was the only one that could make his brain shut off and stop obsessing.

When he thought he could speak again, he said "Well… I wonder what Rossi will say about that."

Emily was laying half on top of him and half on the bed. A sheet was twisted around her body, and one long leg peeked out from it, the other was tangled with his legs.

"I don't care what he thinks. I'm still mad at him for earlier."

"He did the right thing."

"I don't care… I wanted to smack him silly. And you… what was with the blind date stuff this morning? I had to listen to Morgan speculate about you all day while we were driving around talking to families."

"I'm sorry… I had to think of something, or he would have started to talk about some new woman I just had to meet."

She stirred uncomfortably at his tone. "I'm sorry… I know you want to tell the team and Hotch."

"I want to shout it from the roof tops. What's wrong with that?"

"I don't know anymore." She admitted. "I just know I will fight to the death for us and our jobs. I love you Spencer Reid."

"You make me feel whole again." He hugged her tighter and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sorry this is happening Spencer. I wish I could make it go away. I also wish you had told me sooner."

"I didn't want to make you feel bad for me." He was stroking her hair. She loved that and it always made her sleepy.

"I don't mind…" She was yawning.

"I just want to forget. I want to escape from all of it. I'm so tired of putting on a happy face."

"Then forget… Use me to forget. Do whatever you want. I don't care." She pulled herself up his long body and kissed his jaw.

"I need you Emily… so much…"

"I know…" She said. Her voice was barely above a whisper. He pulled her face down to meet his lips.

"Let me love you… I want to love you." He murmured.

"Yes…" She sighed and let him flip her over.

They would escape together, if only for awhile!


	4. The consequences of revenge

_A/n hello all… Thanks for all of your kind reviews. The muse thanks you too… She likes the reviews._

_Disclaimer: See the first chapter_

_Warning: See the first chapter_

_**The consequences of revenge **_

_Where was the book he needed to find for his history class? Oh yeah… There it is. He took it off the shelf and went back to the table he was using for study. _

"_Spencer…"_

_He turned to see a dark haired, dark eyed girl looking down at him. _

"_Ah… Hi…ah… Harper…" His voice squeaked. Why did it always squeak when he was nervous? Harper Hillman was so pretty…_

"_Look Spencer… Alexa Lisbon told me to come find you."_

"_Why…"_

"_She likes you. She wants to talk to you."_

"_I…"_

"_Come on Spencer… She won't wait forever… She's behind the field house."_

_So he went, even though he knew somewhere down deep inside that it was a mistake. Harper followed him out to the field house, and she was the first of them to laugh when he rounded the corner and found not only Alexa Lisbon but the whole football team standing there._

"_Well… If it isn't the little faggot…" Steven Jones had said._

"_Hey you little fairy boy…" Brent Howard had laughed long and loud. _

_Spencer's heart had leaped into his throat at the sight of all the boys - no they were young men - standing there. Alexa had her arm around Maxwell and she smirked at him. _

"_You fell for it… I can't believe you fell for it. I thought you were supposed to be smarter than all of us. I mean… What would I want with a kid, when I have a man?" _

_She kissed Steven, long and hard, shoving her tongue down his throat. Spencer realized too late that he should have run, but it wouldn't make any difference, he couldn't have outrun them._

_He noticed that other kids were arriving. Steven yelled at the others to grab him. He closed his eyes, thinking that he was going to get the worst beating of his life. They didn't beat him. They stripped off his clothes and tied him to the goal post. The other kids laughed and jeered. They called him every cruel and disgusting name in the book. _

"_Help me… Please help me!"_

_They ignored him. Why didn't someone help him? Why were they doing this? Every minute that went by felt like and hour. He couldn't feel the pain in his wrists from being tied too tightly and his arms were numb. _

"_Help me… Someone…" _

"_Spencer… Wake up!_

"Leave me alone… Please let me go…"

He trashed against the weight of the body against him. "Please… Let me go…"

"Spencer… Wake up baby…"

Her voice pushed through the crowd of high school voices that were drowning him in their vitriol and their cruelty.

'What…"

He was sitting up in the dark and her arms were holding him close. He drug in a huge breath. "I'm okay…"

"Spencer… You were screaming in your sleep for help."

"I'm okay…" He buried his face in her hair. Breathing in the smell of her lilac-scented shampoo began to slow down his heart.

"What wrong baby? What happened?"

So he told her about the dream. "Damn it…" She said. She pulled away from him and snapped on the lamp on the night table next to her. They both blinked rapidly against the sudden brightness of the light.

"Emily…"

Her eyes were blazing with anger again. "No… Don't say that it's okay… I know its not. I love you baby. I don't want you to suffer this way. You bear too much on your shoulders as it is."

"Emily… I was going to say that I'm glad you're here."

He pulled her back into his arms. She held him tight and listened to the steady beat of his heart. He kissed the top of her head and she giggled.

"I love your hair," He murmured. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever known."

"You're not so bad yourself," She said. His touch on her back, the way his hands glided up and down her back made her shiver.

"Spencer…"

"Shh… It's okay."

--

Reid was lying on his side in the low light of the lamp Emily had left burning. Emily faced him, their legs were tangled together and she was stroking his hair.

"Wow… three times in one night. The next time Garcia starts bragging about Kevin's famous stamina…"

"God… I don't want to hear about Garcia and Kevin's sex life." Reid protested.

"Yeah… It is kind of… Well icky in a geeky sort of way."

Spencer began to laugh. "I'll bet that's what she'll say about us."

"We aren't geeky…" Emily pouted. "We're… quirky," She decided.

He laughed again, "I guess we are!"

"Seriously… Are you okay?" Emily watched him anxiously.

"I will be…"

She squeezed his arm and he kissed her. "Let's get some sleep. We'll talk later."

He opened his mouth and then groaned when his phone began to play "Bad to the bone."

"What the hell…" Emily began.

"It's Hotch…" Reid said and flipped open the phone.

"Reid…" He yawned into the phone

"_We've got another body."_

"Where," He asked beginning to quake inside.

"_Your high school football field, he's tied to the goal post." _

"Is it Hayden?"

"_I don't know… The first responders said his face is too badly beaten for visual ID."_

"Okay… I'll be right there."

"_Oh Reid… Emily's not answering her phone."_

"Um… well… I …"

"_I need both of you down here as quick as you can." _

"Okay Hotch… I'll tell her." Reid decided to ignore the tiny bit of humor in his bosses voice that lay just under his ever present stoicism.

He shut his phone and turned to face Emily who looked like she'd just swallowed a mouthful of vinegar. "Why did you say that," She demanded.

"He knew you were here. What good would it have done to lie?"

She narrowed her dark eyes at him and studied him for a long moment, before getting out of bed and grabbing her white tank from the floor.

"You could have at least tried…" She began before realizing that it was useless to argue. He was right. It was annoying. "How did we turn into JJ and Will?" She asked while he searched for his boxers, which had ended up under her pants at the foot of the bed.

He chuckled, "We decided to keep our relationship a secret because we didn't want Hotch to transfer or fire one of us." He pulled on the boxers and then went searching for his shirt. "Come to think of it, why did we put ourselves through secrecy? There's no rule that says agents can't socialize. If you're a supervisor and a direct report then no, you can't fraternize, but that doesn't apply to us."

"Remember…" Emily said. She pulled on the pink plaid drawstring pants she'd worn earlier in the night. "You said that Hotch would be concerned about our objectivity."

"So I was wrong," Reid realized that half the buttons on his shirt were hanging by thread or were on the gold shag carpet.

He went to his bag and pulled out a plain white dress shirt and then grabbed his dark grey cords.

"We were both wrong." Emily said. She crossed the room to him and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I need to go change. I'll see you in the lobby."

He grabbed her before she could walk away and captured her mouth with his. "I love you Emily Prentiss. What ever happens…? No matter what comes… I will always love you!"

There was something deep in his eyes that frightened her, but then it was gone and he was her dear, sweet man again.

Tears filled her eyes. "I love you too."

--

The team arrived at the school a little after four am. The lights that had been set up around the yellow goal post of the football field gave them a look at the garish figure tied to the right side of the goal post.

Reid pulled on gloves, and avoided the gaze of his boss and JJ's concerned eyes. What was he supposed to do…? Stay away from this place.

_Please… let me go… Please someone help me!_

The voice of the twelve year old boy that he'd been the last time he'd walked on this field followed him all the way down to the body.

"Reid…" Her voice was there. She walked next to him, not touching him, but warming him with her presence.

"I'm alright…" He said through his teeth.

His feet didn't make a sound as they crossed the turf to the goal post. She trailed him to the yellow goal posts. The lights made the body look like a black and white film negative until he got close and could smell the death that hung on the air. The body was turning grey under the dark patches of blood and the bruises that had bloomed over most of his body.

"The violence is escalating." Rossi observed, while snapping on his set of gloves.

"Maybe because he was Steven Jones's best friend. He was one of the biggest guys on the team." Reid said. "Funny I just remembered that, can't remember what position he played on the team though."

"Looks like he kept in shape," Morgan gestured at the body.

Reid was standing right next to the body of his old tormentor, and just staring at the horrible beating the man had taken. He wanted to feel sorry, or vindicated, or something… It was strange that the only thing he could feel was nothing. Absolutely nothing… How could that be?

"Hey…" Morgan had put a light hand on his arm.

"I'm fine… It looks like the same wound pattern as the other victims. He's left handed and obviously very strong. He'd have to be to get this body in the position it's in."

Morgan didn't respond. He watched Reid and the way that he just stood there and talked about the victim as if it meant nothing to him.

"Yeah… This was definitely personal."

"The question is why…" Reid said.

"That's what we have to determine. You said he was Jones's best friend. I'm going to call Garcia and get his information. We have to try and warn him." Morgan said.

"Yeah… we have to warn him." Reid responded.

Something down deep inside him didn't want to warn his old enemy. A small part of him that he suppressed for years rose up, and wanted to see the old bully suffer. He shuddered in disgust at himself and pushed that part away. He had to do his job and be objective. It wasn't helpful to give into that part of him that had always wanted revenge. Revenge didn't help anyway… Right!

--

The man stood across the street, hidden in the shadows of the trees in the yard of the abandoned house. The darkness gave him cover, and the cops and feds were too busy with his latest offering to be concerned about him.

They were so far away from finding him it was laughable. He was getting bored. He thought that Spencer and his friends would pose more of a challenge than they had so far. It was too bad to have your expectations shattered.

Oh well… that didn't mean that he still couldn't go on with his plans. He stepped out of the trees and walked down the sidewalk. His shoes echoed in the concrete, but no one noticed him. He moved through the shadows around the football field and blended into the darkness under the bleachers.


	5. Stepping up the game

_A/n hey ya all. Thanks again for all your kind reviews and to everyone that has added this to your alerts._

_Disclaimer: See the first chapter_

_Warnings: See the first chapter_

_**Stepping up the game **_

Reid stood up from his crouch and pulled off his gloves with a snap. "I wonder who'll be next," He asked no one in particular.

"This isn't your fault," Morgan began.

"Yes… it is…" Reid shot back. His voice was beginning to rise on the wind that had sprung up around them, and swirled the leaves left over from fall and winter. It erected the hair on the back of his neck, and he began to shiver under his sweater vest.

Morgan put his hand on Reid's shoulder. Emily stood back, watching the two of them with anxious eyes. JJ watched Emily, and then glanced over at Rossi who was looking at Hotch.

"Reid… you gotta pull it together… This isn't your fault…"

Reid shrugged the older man off and addressed them all. "Don't baby me Morgan."

"I'm not trying to baby you… I'm concerned about you man… We all are."

"You're not concerned about me… You're concerned about the case and how me freaking out is going to affect the outcome."

"Reid…" Hotch spoke up. His eyebrows were coming together over his eyes.

"I told you not to keep me on this case. I told you that I couldn't be objective!" Reid confronted his boss and ignored the hand Morgan moved back to his arm.

"You're here because I need you here. You're a valuable member of this team. We need your talents…"

"No… you need what I know about the victims and the un-sub. I don't know anything about these people except what I remember from school. They bullied me and all of the other outcasts at school. They were despicable to me and anyone else that didn't fit their image of what a person should be. They were also teenagers and people can change when they get older. These people were killed because of me. I know it! I know that you know it's true. Please stop trying to make me feel better about something as heinous, as someone trying to right a wrong that should have been forgotten a long time ago!"

Reid dropped his gloves and spun on his heel. "I need some air that doesn't smell like decaying flesh." He started off across the field behind the goal post to the north bleachers.

"Reid..." Emily began.

"Leave him be…" Rossi said.

"No… Rossi we have to do something!" Morgan began again.

"Dave's right… Let him cool off for a bit." Hotch told them.

Rossi turned back to the body as if nothing had happened. Emily watched Reid disappear into the darkness of the early morning. The stars mocked her with their beauty. She wondered briefly why they were brighter here than in DC.

"He's going to be ok…" JJ said.

"I don't know if he will be… He looked so lost earlier this evening." She said.

"I've known Reid for a long time and he will get through this. He's tougher than he looks." JJ said.

JJ motioned Emily away from the body. Hotch and Morgan were talking quietly and Rossi was busy with his note book and red pen.

"I'm glad he has you." She said out of one side of her mouth.

"Yeah… he said it was useless to try and hide from you." Emily said softly.

"God only knows you have to take love where you can get it."

"Are you speaking from experience?"

"Me… sure… I mean look at how hard I tried to keep Will a secret and you all knew all along."

"Yeah… that was pathetic of you." Emily joked.

JJ saw the pain that Emily carried in her eyes despite the small joke they had shared. Her friend really loved Spence. She was so glad that someone loved him. He needed it so badly.

"Did Spence ever tell you we went out once?"

"Yeah… he said it didn't work out. He wasn't sorry. Are you?"

"No… I'm not… I really like him. There was just no spark between us. I knew that he needed someone that was kind and gentle, someone that could talk to him on an intellectual level, someone that could relate to him. He needed someone like you."

JJ saw Emily smile in the darkness. "It's weird… He's so much younger than me, but in away we're the same age. He's an old man in a lot of ways."

"Yeah… He's also cute as hell." JJ admitted.

"Hey… that's my boyfriend you're talking about. You have your own guy."

"Yeah…" JJ sighed happily. "I sure do!"

--

Reid walked till he couldn't see the crime scene or his team. He was being stupid and overly sensitive. It was going to make Hotch regret not firing him after Texas if he kept it up. He should go back up to the team and act like the man he was supposed to be.

Emily was probably regretting getting involved with him now. He looked up at the moon, which was three quarters full. He remembered the first time he watched the moon with Emily. It was the first time he'd spent the night with her. They had gone to her apartment and he'd fell in love with the view from her living room window. The moon had been so white and beautiful that night. Well… she would most certainly find someone else that was braver, and more able to take the pressures of life. He was too fragile and easily broken. Women didn't like that, did they?

There was the sound of a footstep next to him. His hand went to his gun, when someone stepped out of the shadows of the bleachers and into the moonlight.

"Hello Spencer…" The person said.

Reid peered at the tall man and recognition fired in his mind. "Oh… Hello Mr. Bradshaw. I didn't know you were still teaching here."

"I'm not… I quit teaching a couple years after you graduated."

"Oh… ah… what are you doing here? It's a crime scene and you really shouldn't be here." Reid said calmly.

"It's okay… I just wanted to talk to you. You see I have some information for you about this case. I just want to help."

Reid relaxed slightly. "Really… what do you know?"

"I remember when you were here at school. I was a student teacher. You were such an intelligent student. You were smarter than all those cretins put together." The man stepped closer to Reid.

"I remember you too. You were some kind of genius yourself. You were what… twenty one when you started student teaching." Reid said.

"Yeah… you remember. I wanted to change the world by helping kids, but I realized they were all stupid, and selfish, and greedy. You were different Spencer."

Reid stepped back and his hand went to his gun.

Martin Bradshaw was faster. "Don't make me shoot you Spencer…"

"My team is up the hill. If I yell…"

"You won't… you don't want to risk them getting hurt. You don't want _her_ to get hurt." He held the gun easily in his hand and smiled.

The shadows were lengthening around them. The wind was picking up and it froze the beads of sweat that were popping up on Reid's forehead. He could go for his gun and hope that he was faster than his old teacher. He could do nothing and end up caged again like he had been in Georgia.

"I'm not here to hurt you or anyone else. If you did all this to get my attention…"

He could see in the low light of the moon that Bradshaw had narrowed his eyes. "I did this to teach them a lesson. They shouldn't have done what they did to you. You were special… You shouldn't have been treated that way by anyone."

"I'm okay Mr. Bradshaw. I forgot all about this. I don't need them to be punished."

The man stepped forward and Reid lifted both of his hands. "Call me Martin… Spencer…"

"Um… okay Martin… I really am okay… so why don't you put the gun down. We can go talk to my boss. I'll tell him that you were only trying to stand up for me."

To Reid's surprise, Bradshaw began to laugh. "Don't try your profiling tricks on me. My IQ is about ten points lower than yours, but that doesn't make me stupid. I've read every book ever written on the subject. You won't talk me out of this."

Reid shivered again. That word - _this _- was an ominous word. There was something wrong, really wrong.

"Why don't we stop talking in circles? You know what I want."

Reid swallowed. "No I don't know what you want."

"Yes you do… I want you to come with me."

"That won't happen."

"Yes it will… You protect the innocent… right."

"What did you do…?" Fear was beginning to make his heart race so fast he was starting to feel faint. It was so cold.

"I have someone waiting to meet with you."

"Why don't we all meet and we can talk to Hotch and figure this thing out."

"No… This has to be done in private. Your boss wants to put me behind bars like I'm a common criminal. I'm not like them. I have a mission. I'm going to rid the world of all of those people that hurt you. Then we can be together. "

"I …"

Bradshaw stepped forward and grabbed Reid around the neck with one hand and cut off his air. He tried to beat off the man's hand, but he was too strong. Little black dots began to dance across his vision and his lungs began to burn.

"Please…" His breath whooshed out and he couldn't draw another one.

"I don't want to hurt you…" Bradshaw said.

The black was coalescing into larger dots. His lungs were on fire. He tried to scratch at the man's arm, but he was too weak.

The man held on till Reid went limp. He swung the thinner man into his arms and backed into the shadows of the bleachers.

--

"Where's Reid…" Morgan asked Emily and JJ when they came back to where the CSI's were removing the body from the goal posts.

"We saw him take off toward the bleachers."

"Well… let's go get him. We need to sit down with the cops. We have a profile to give them." Hotch told them.

"I'll go get him." Emily said.

She went across the field and north to the bleachers. "Spencer… Hey… where are you hiding?" She flashed her light around. There was nothing to be heard or seen. She couldn't even see the cops. It looked like most of them had left.

"Reid… Stop hiding… You're scaring me!"

The wind was the only thing that she could hear. It was getting colder by the minute. The sky was beginning to take on a slight grey cast and the moon was setting.

"Spencer Reid… Answer me this minute."

Her light moved over the white washed bleachers. The paint was peeling and they looked like they were about ready to fall apart. Something caught her eye. It glinted off the beam of her flashlight. She bent over and picked it up. It was Reid's badge! The breath stopped in her throat at the sight. Oh God… what had happened? She panicked and swung her flashlight wildly. His gun was a few feet to her left.

"Hotch…" She screamed. "Morgan…"

The night was still except for one weeping woman, and the rush of feet running over the grass to the lonely bleachers.


	6. Working the profile

_A/n hello all, here is the next chapter for you. Thank you all so much for your kind and thoughtful reviews. I appreciate all the valuable feedback from you. _

_Disclaimer: See the first chapter_

_Warning: See first chapter. There is some harsh language._

_**Working the profile **_

"Everyone settle down now…" Hotch shouted above the excited voices of the police officers and the rest of his team.

The noise died down in fits, and starts, to complete silence as Hotch stood glowering at them in the precinct's bullpen.

"I know you're all upset about the disappearance of Dr. Reid. We need to focus on finding our un-sub. I believe if we find him, we'll find Agent Reid."

"How do you know that? How do we know Dr. Reid isn't dead? How do we know he isn't in on this whole thing?" Asked an officer in the desk closest to the front of the room

Morgan leaped forward and Hotch held him back. "Let it go!" He ordered.

Morgan backed off, but he glowered at the officer while Hotch began to address the group.

"Those are valid questions. My agent was personally involved in this case. I wanted him here because of the connection he had to the victims."

"Just what kind of connection are we talking about?" The same officer asked.

He had blond hair that was almost platinum white and watery blue eyes. He stood the same height as Morgan, but was about fifty pounds heavier than the agent. His face was round and flushed.

"A connection from school," Morgan said. "Now… we have five victims so far. They're male and female, all of them are the same age. There's no sexual component to these crimes. This -"

"Excuse me… Agent Hotchner, "Officer Norton said. "What kind of connection from school?"

"You want to shut up… This is the second time you've interrupted Agent Hotchner and I…"

"Morgan…" Hotch said with a warning tone.

"Hotch… this guy has some kind of problem with Reid. I want to know what it is!"

"I don't have a problem with your agent. You come in here, and take over this investigation, and you're not willing to make full disclosure about information that we need to know to do our jobs."

"You don't need to know this." Morgan rumbled.

"Morgan… He's right," Hotch said.

"Hotch… he told us the story in confidence!"

"I know that Morgan… Don't you think I know that?" Hotch turned back to the officers who were looking at each other in surprise at the confrontation. "My agent was attacked and humiliated by these people. They stripped him naked and tied him to the goal posts at the school. They left him there to escape on his own. He was only twelve years old."

There was shocked silence for a minute before another officer in the back of the room sniggered. This made Officer Norton chortle as well.

Morgan surged forward again and this time, it took both Hotch and Rossi to hold him back. Detective Sorenson took charge before Hotch could say anything to the two officers. "Norton… Jimenez… Shut the fuck up and pay attention."

"What's wrong Sorenson? You got the hots for the beanpole." Officer Jimenez chided her. His dark eyes danced and he winked at Norton.

"You're a jackass and a disgrace to the uniform. These people are here to help us. They were called in by Lt. McKnight. If you have a problem with that, I suggest you take it up with her. I'm sure she'll be happy to rip you both new ones."

The other officers roared with laughter and Norton's face reddened even more, while Jimenez grinned at Detective Sorenson.

"Whoa baby… you make me hungry when you talk like that," Jimenez said with an exaggerated Spanish accent and a whistle.

All of the men in the room with the exception of the team catcalled. The women were glaring at Norton and Jimenez.

"Alright… knock it off." A furious female voice said from behind JJ.

The woman behind her was chestnut haired, with dark brown eyes, and the heart shaped face of a runway model. She was medium height and build. She wore a dark blue business suit. Her blouse was white and her hair was short. It had been cut so that it fell around her face in that sort of messy, carefree way. Her badge hung off the dark brown belt that circled her waist. Her face was perfectly made up, but her eyes were blazing, and daring her officers to say anything. Silence descended over the bullpen and the men and women of the precinct snapped to attention.

"Lieutenant… We were just…"

"I know what you were doing Office Norton. I was listening from my office. That would be that glassed in area over there. Do you know why the office is in the corner of the room there?"

"Ah… no ma'am," He was looking everywhere but at her face.

"Well… let me enlighten you." She stood right over the man. The officer in the desk next to him had become very interested in the calendar on his desk. "The office is in that position so that I can watch all of you morons, and make sure you don't spend your time jerking around, or antagonizing federal officers. That's why the walls are glass."

"But…"

"Norton... I am speaking and you are listening. You will work with these profilers, and you will keep your personal observations to yourself. Do you understand me?" She punched out.

"Yes ma'am!"

McKnight addressed the rest of the group. "I want all of you to remember that Dr. Reid is one of us. None of you are going home or sleeping till we find him. He comes back alive. Is that understood?"

"Yes ma'am…" All of the officers and detectives answered in unison as though they were new recruits in the first week of drill.

"Good…" She dismissed them by turning to Hotch. "I'm sorry for how my officers have acted. Let me know what I can do to help. We will find your man and this un-sub."

"Thank you Lieutenant." Hotch said, and JJ almost laughed at the tiny hint of amusement that was in her boss's face, and then it was gone and everything snapped back to reality.

Lt. McKnight went back to her office and silence reigned till Hotch began to speak again. "This un-sub is between the ages of thirty-five and fifty. He is someone that knows what happened to Dr. Reid. He was either there, or heard about it after the fact. He's physically very strong. He's very intelligent and knows something about forensics and the procedures we use. He may have been employed at the high school at the time of the attack on Dr. Reid. He may still be employed there. We need to talk to all of the employees at the school, and go through their records from fifteen years ago. We need to look at Dr Reid's records as well." Hotch told them.

"This man has no sexual interest in his victims. He is on a mission. He's what we call a mission based killer. His mission is to punish Dr. Reid's old schoolmates. He took the attack on our agent as a personal thing." Emily continued.

"Excuse me…" Detective Sorenson raised a hand as though she were in school. "Why would this guy take an attack on Slim - I mean Dr Reid, personally?"

"He's obsessed with Dr. Reid. We don't know what may have happened to trigger this obsession. Dr. Reid was a child on the edge of puberty and this man is - was an adult."

"So you're sayin' that this un-sub is a frustrated pedophile with the hots for a man that he still sees as a child." Detective Sorenson asked matter-of-factly.

Morgan's eyebrows went up, "We don't know the specifics, but yes that could be the reason for the obsession. He thinks that by getting revenge for Dr. Reid, he'll impress him. He needs the good favor of Agent Reid more than anything else in his life."

"Is he goin' to kill him?" Detective Sorenson asked.

"No…" Morgan said.

"Ya don't have to sugar coat the facts." Detective Sorenson pressed. "We know the realities of this type of crime."

"He'll keep Dr. Reid alive as long as he believes that Dr. Reid returns his affections." Emily said.

"So you're sayin' that as long as Dr. Reid doesn't piss off this guy, he'll be okay." Detective Sorenson asked.

"Yes…" Hotch said.

"Well… I hope for his sake… He doesn't do anything to make this guy mad." Detective Sorenson said.

--

His throat burned when he opened his eyes. The ceiling above him was white tile. He turned his head to the right, squinting against the light that was burning to his left. His head was spinning as though he had taken a ride on the merry go round at school. His eyes were blurring and he couldn't make out most of what was around him.

School… that was the reason he was here, something to do with school. There was something he was supposed to see or do. What was it? His throat was hurting so badly it made thinking about where he was and what he was supposed to do very difficult.

_Okay… You need to think about where you are, and what you have to do to get yourself out of the situation. _

_Sure that would be easy… All I have to do is not anger the "nice" man that has me locked up in some room, probably in a basement because the psychos seem to like basement, and cellars, and…_

_Yeah genius we know all that… use that big brain of yours to figure out a way to get out of this._

He was lying on his back on something that was soft. It felt like the mattress on his bed. He threw off the blanket and tried to sit up, but the dizziness pushed him back. The light was less intense in his eyes and he tried to look around again.

The room was coming into sharper focus as though he were seeing it through the negative of an instant Polaroid camera photo. _._

"You're awake…"

Reid jerked and spun around on the bed as the overhead light came on. "I… What am I doing here?"

"You're here with me. I made everything comfortable for you. Do you like the room?"

"I…" He looked around and gasped in horror.

"I've only made everything the way you like it!" Bradshaw said in a very reasonable tone, but his eyes were taking on an angry cast.

"Ah… yeah I like it. Thank you for doing this for me. I just don't understand how it's all possible.'

"I'm not limited by working for the school system. I have my own money, and can do anything, and go anywhere I want, including DC. I've been keeping up with everything you've done."

He came over to the bed and sat down next to Reid. Reid resisted the urge to shy away, even though every fiber of his being screamed at him to run.

"Don't think about it Spencer. I know you better than you know yourself." Bradshaw pulled the gun he'd been carrying out of the waistband of the dark brown slacks he wore.

"I promise I'm not thinking of leaving. I was just so surprised that you've been in my home. If I had known we could have talked and…"

"I told you not to try any tricks on me. I won't fall for them."

He reached out and brushed a hand over Spencer's shoulder and Reid shuddered away from him. "Look Mr. Bradshaw I…"

"I told you to call me Martin." The anger was back and Reid shifted away again.

"I'm sorry… Martin. I just think that it would be better if we talked about this. I can…"

"Don't say another word or I'll make you wish you'd never been born." His hand flashed out and he slapped Reid hard across the face. His hand made an angry red mark on the younger man's cheek in the shape of a large hand.

Reid put his hand to his face and his eye's filled up with tears of pain. "I'm sorry Spencer. I don't want to hurt you. I'm doing all of this for you." He gestured with the gun for Reid to get up.

Reid stood and the man motioned him to the door of the room. "Don't even think about pulling anything. I'll kill you where you stand."

They left the room and went down a hallway to another room. Reid opened the door when bidden to do so by his captor. The smell was a living thing, the smell of blood, and decay, and human waste.

He saw what waited for him in the center of the room. "My God… Why are you doing this?"


	7. What Martin expects

_A/n hey all, here's the next chapter. Once again, thank you for all of your wonderful feed back. _

_Disclaimer: See the first chapter_

_Warning: See the first chapter. Some violence and language _

_**What Martin expects**_

_Narcissist v Nurturer…_

_Male… thirties to fifties…_

_Very intelligent, but is that intelligence as great as Reid's?_

_Something happened to him in childhood that he couldn't control… It was something like what had happened to Reid. _

_He feels responsible for Reid for some reason. What is that reason?_

_Did Reid know him at school? Was the un-sub a neighbor that knew of Dianna Reid's disease?_

_Did the un-sub have an unstable parent that abused him?_

_Was Reid abused as a child by his mother? His father was apathetic. He didn't care enough about Spencer to abuse him. No… that's not right… Maybe he cared too much and was afraid._

Hotch dropped the black ink pen he'd been using to make notes after scribbling out that last piece of speculation. Speculation was all that it was, and it could only cloud his judgment. The facts had to be followed. Only the facts, nothing else could matter.

He sighed and drew a line through "Spencer." It didn't help to begin to let the 'older brother versus younger brother' relationship he saw with Reid, get in the way of the profile. The person to focus on was the un-sub, not Reid. Reid was the victim.

He sighed again and the fingertips of his right hand began to massage his forehead. A brain buster of a headache was starting to form behind his eyes. He tented his fingertips together and rested his head on them.

Another deep sigh escaped his lips before a voice said from the doorway. "Stop tormenting yourself Aaron. We didn't see this coming. We should have, but we didn't," Hotch looked up at Rossi who was frowning down at his friend.

"If you're trying to make me feel better, you need to work on your technique." He said dryly.

"I'm not trying to cheer you up."

"What are you trying to do… make me angry?"

"No… I'm not trying to do anything, but remind you that we are all in this together."

"I know that…"

"Yes… you know that with your head. Your heart is clouding your judgment. I know that you care for Reid. He can be annoying sometimes, but he has something that makes you want to look out for him."

"He hates that," Hotch said.

"I know… I also know that you trying not to treat him any different than the rest of the team. You try so hard to make him feel like he's part of the group, but he's still a very young man."

"Dave… Why are you telling me all of this now?"

"Because I don't want you to miss the obvious with clouded judgment," Hotch only looked up at his friend, while waiting for him to continue. "Reid knew the person responsible for this. It was very likely that the un-sub saw himself as some sort of protector and feels that he failed Reid when he was attacked by his classmates."

"I thought the same thing. I was trying to get my thoughts down on paper. Who could it be?"

"I think this man was at school with Reid. He could have been a teacher, an advisor, a principal, or any member of the staff."

"You don't think it was another student." Hotch asked.

"No… I think -"

Morgan strode into the room looking angrier than Hotch had seen since the events of Georgia. "That son of a bitch has taken someone else."

--

"Why… I don't know what you're talking about sweet Spencer." Bradshaw gestured grandly as though he were performing Shakespeare on stage. "All of this that you see around you is for your enjoyment."

His smile was gentle and almost inviting. It was as though the man were inviting Reid to sit and play a game of chess, or drink a fine glass of brandy with him. Reid shivered, feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand up. His enjoyment… How could this be for his enjoyment? It sickened him just to contemplate what Martin wanted from him.

A man lay on a stainless steel table in the middle of the room. The table was stained red with splashes and drips. The figure was nude and restrained with shackles that pulled his arms over his head. He legs were also restrained so that his body resembled a cross turned on its side. There were bruises blooming in purple, red and blue over his face and torso. His bottom lip was split open, and blood smeared his chin and neck. His scalp was split open at the hairline and more blood matted his bangs.

It was a small and windowless room with grey concrete block walls. Water dripped from a pipe that ran along the length of the rust stained ceiling. The droplets plopped on the floor at odd intervals with a wet smacking sound. One drop smacked the man on the table rhythmically on the palm on his left hand. The man winced and groaned with every ragged exhalation of breath. Reid ripped his eyes away from the man and addressed the killer that stood before him.

"Mr. Bradshaw…"

"Martin!" The man screamed at Reid who flinched away as though from a blow.

"I'm sorry… I forgot… Martin."

"Should I show you how I'll help you remember?"

"No… it was my mistake." Reid had his hands up in front of him.

He tried desperately to ignore the groans of the man that lay on the table. The smell of blood was nauseating and Reid tried to use it to distract his mind from the man's cries.

"I've brought this piece of filth for you Spencer. This so-called 'innocent' that the FBI is sworn to protect."

"Thank you, Martin…" Reid said.

Reid's voice was beginning to tremble at the thought that this person was here because of him. There was another part of him that was happy that this man was suffering. It was the part of him that still remembered who this man had been, and how he'd been partly responsible for the humiliation the football team had visited upon him.

Martin watched Reid's reaction to the man on the table with keen interest. Martin's eyes were the same color as Reid's, but they didn't have the light that made Reid's face angelic. His were cold, and hard, and when he smiled, Reid wanted to wince like the man that was suffering from Bradshaw's torture.

"You're welcome Spencer." He said. He spoke with the same exaggerated politeness that was so terrible, coupled with those ice cold eyes.

Martin's face was as smooth as that of an innocent child. His hair was cut short and was several shades darker than Spencer's. He was several inches taller and looked as though he'd spent a lot of time at the gym. Reid would have to count on his ability to talk his way out of whatever Martin had planned for him.

"Why don't we talk about this and you can -?"

"The time for talking is over. Is he innocent to you now, Spencer? Does he deserve your forgiveness or protection?"

His voice had been rising out of control. He took a large breath and un-fisted his hands so that they hung loosely at his side. He smiled once more at Spencer.

"If you don't talk to me I can't help you Martin. I want to help you and understand what you want."

"It's very simple what I want Spencer. I want you to help me teach this little parasite over here," He pointed at the man, "a lesson in life… something that he needs to learn before he dies."

Martin laughed delightedly at the shock that crossed Reid's face. "You know what I'm talking about don't you Spencer."

Reid swallowed and glanced at the man on the table. "I can't do what you want me to do. I don't -"

Martin's hand connected with Reid face again. The resounding crack drowned out everything else, the moaning of the man on the table and the dripping of the water from the pipe over his head. Reid's head was thrown to the side by the impact of Martin's hand. The pain exploded through his head as though a hammer had hit him. Tears of pain collected in his eyes and he tried to blink them back so that Bradshaw wouldn't see. The pain was bad but it was nothing compared to having the bones in your foot broken. He could handle the pain. It wouldn't rule him again. He'd almost died at the hands of one madman. There was no way that was going to be within the realm of possibility for him again. He drew in a ragged breath and made his face smooth into line of submission.

"I'm sorry Martin… I didn't mean to say that I don't appreciate everything you've already done for me."

Bradshaw's eyes narrowed at him as though trying to gage whether or not the young man was truly sorry. Reid met his eyes without flinching, and the man relaxed and broke out into another wide and cheery smile.

"I don't want to hurt you sweet Spencer." Bradshaw said reaching out a hand to touch the red mark left by his hand.

Reid flinched away and Bradshaw's face filled with anger again. Reid smiled encouragingly at the man and Bradshaw's face calmed again.

"Now…" Bradshaw said. "I want you to enjoy your gift.

"No… help me…" The man and the table gasped out. "He'll kill me…. Please help me…"

Reid shifted his eyes back to the second captive and began to recall the face that time had changed. It was Steven Jones, the quarterback of the football team. He was the one that had helped Maxwell Hayden lead the attack on Reid when he'd followed Harper Hillman like a fool.

"Please…. Help me…."

There was recognition in Jones' eyes too. He knew that Reid knew who he was. His eyes tried to lock onto Reid, but Reid moved them back to Bradshaw. His captor was smiling again, enjoying the way that Jones tried to pull his restraints out of the rings that attached then to the table.

"You see… I saved the very best for you. I wanted to bring your sorry excuse for a father here, but I couldn't find him in time. He seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. Interesting… So I decided that Jones here would do instead."

Bradshaw caressed Reid's cheek again. The redness from the slap had faded back to normal, but the desire to reach up and push his captor's hand away was so strong, his arm was beginning to rise when Bradshaw pulled his hand back and then grabbed Reid by his shoulders.

"Now… I'm going to show you how much fun it can be to teach arrogant fools a lesson. This man was responsible for what happened to you fourteen years ago.I found out that he planned the whole thing for a bunch of eager accomplices. It's time for him to suffer." He let go of Reid and backed up to a second table that sat against the far wall.

The table was stainless steel like the first table, which Reid could now recognize as an autopsy table. He'd seen enough of them in his career; there was no mistaking it or the purpose it carried.

Bradshaw picked up something that shone in the light of the room. It was long, silver, and looked very sharp. Martin turned the knife over in his hand, and then held it out to Spencer with a look of 'take it my friend, it won't hurt you,' entering his eyes.

"Won't this be fun?" The man smiled.


	8. Another step closer

_A/n hey all, here is the next chapter. Once again, I thank all of you for your kind reviews and your honest and thoughtful feedback._

_Disclaimer: See the first chapter_

_Warning: See the first chapter. Also some harsh language._

_**Another step closer**_

Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan met up with Emily and JJ in the conference room. Detective Sorenson entered the room in a very calm manner that made Morgan frown. She took the last empty chair and listened as JJ began to give them the details on the latest victim.

"His name is Steven Jones. He's an underwriter for Pilgrim Insurance. He's divorced, and has two children, both boys. He was supposed to fly into Las Vegas for the weekend with his new girlfriend."

She dropped the file onto the table and sat down next to Emily. Her hands were shaking and she tried to hide them under the table. A hand reached over and took hers, just as it had when Garcia was shot. She glanced over at her friend. Even though Emily claimed to be so good at compartmentalizing her feelings, JJ saw the hopeless terror that lay in the depths of her dark eyes. Then it was gone and her eyes closed down when Hotch spoke.

"Are you okay JJ…"

"Yeah… I'm great…" She confronted him head on… Her usual calm, cool professional manner had fled. "Reid is out there alone, maybe in the hands of someone that thinks he's doing him a favor by killing his tormentors. We don't know where he is or if…" Her voice stuttered to a stop when the hand holding hers squeezed it so hard she almost cried out in pain.

"We have to keep it together." Rossi said.

"I know… I'm sorry for losing it. You're right." She held up her free hand to stop Hotch from talking. "I'm alright… Let's catch this son of a bitch!"

The hand holding on to hers tightened again, only not so tightly. Then the hand was gone and JJ's computer beeped at her.

"Hey Garcia…"

"Hey guys…" Garcia was mopping the mascara off her red cheeks.

Her eyes were puffy from crying. Her usually immaculate hair was falling out of the crimson headband she wore. Her scarlet framed glasses only emphasized her red face and all the red she wore, making her appear red all over.

"So I did a run on Steven Jones," She said "It's looking like he was taken with the same ruse as Maxwell Hayden. I back tracked his credit cards and found a ticket for a flight to Las Vegas from Las Vegas Air. He made it to the city and disappeared after that. I also found a reservation for a 2008 Ford Taurus waiting for him, but he never showed up."

"What about the girlfriend," Rossi asked.

"Sharon Campbell was supposed to meet him at the casino hotel they were staying at. She was already in town for a sales conference, but staying at the Holiday Inn. Apparently, Mr. Jones sprang for the Signature at the MGM Grand. You get a private retreat, with a private gated entrance and Concierge service, the whole works." She whistled at the extravagance and continued.

"Ms Campbell works for Morpheus International. They're an 'up-and-coming' Software Company. They have the best new encryption program that's come out in the last six months… You should see the stuff that little baby can do…"

"Baby girl… You wanna focus on the problem at hand." Morgan said.

"Sorry… I'm just trying to keep my mind off my sweet boy. God… What if something terrible is happening to him?"

"Garcia…" Hotch snapped out at her. "We need your whole attention on this."

His tone seemed to pull her out of the funk that she was in. She straightened up in her chair and saluted Hotch. "You're right sir…" She took a deep breath. "I found a police report and an insurance claim. She left the hotel to meet Mr. Jones, and found her rental car with two tires slashed. By the time she got on the road, she couldn't reach him on his cell, and he hadn't checked in. I've got a trap and trace on his cell, but so far nothing."

"Garcia… What about Reid's cell…?" Emily asked. Her hands were clenched together under the table.

"Nothing sugar… I'm keeping an eye on it."

"What else have you got? " Hotch asked.

"There are two teachers working at George Washington High School that were there when Reid was a student. The interesting thing is that the Principal, Wallace Wentworth, was brand new as an administrator the year Reid was a senior."

"What are the names of the teachers?" Hotch asked.

"Maggie Sherman and David Hart… Mr. Hart teaches Math and Ms. Sherman is the Physical education teacher for the girls." Garcia supplied while her hands flew over the keyboard of her computer. "The support staff of the school is high turnover, but there is one janitor that has worked there for the last fifteen years. His name is Michael Hawke. That's all I could find, but I'm going to keep digging on this."

"Good…" Hotch picked up the file folder he'd been writing on and stood up. "Okay… I'm going to talk to Ms Campbell, Emily and Morgan, go talk to the staff at the school. JJ… Do you have a contact with the press here in Las Vegas?"

"Yes sir… It's Amanda Keene from the Tribune. I'll contact her and start setting up a press conference."

"Is it wise to alert the media at this point? Isn't that dangerous for Slim?"

Morgan's eyebrows went into his forehead. "What's with the nickname?"

"Have you ever taken a good look at Dr. Reid? He turns sideways and you can't see him."

Rossi broke out into a grin and everyone including Emily chuckled. The syrupy thick tension in the room broke and even Hotch cracked a smile.

"We get this guy on the news and he'll contact us." Hotch told her.

"Are you sure?"

"After JJ gets done with him, he'll call; she has a way with these guys." Emily commented.

JJ tried to look offended, but ended up smiling sheepishly. "Yeah… I guess I do."

She and Detective Sorenson left together. Morgan and Emily followed, with Hotch and Rossi bringing up the rear. Maybe now they had some place to start.

--

"Won't this be fun?" Martin smiled.

The knife claimed Reid's attention, even though his brain was busy assuring him that he wouldn't take part in the plans of one evil man.

His hands were free from restraints and he could resist, but Martin would immediately kill Jones. Reid knew it like he knew the contours of his own hands. If he tried to resist, Martin would kill him and then Steve Jones. If he didn't resist his old tormentor would die anyway. It was a matter of how quickly it would happen.

"Okay… I'll d-do it." Reid said.

One of his hands reached out for the knife. It was brighter as he moved closer to the blade. There was a strange sort of fascination the blade held. Martin smiled and pressed the handle into Reid's hands.

"I'm glad you've seen the light, as it was dear Spencer. I know how hard it was for you. I know how much you want to hurt him. I know how long you've been waiting for this moment."

"Yeah…" Reid breathed. He began to pull away and Martin leveled the gun he'd been carrying at Reid's abdomen.

"Don't try anything funny. The bullets in this gun will tear your insides out long before you could take one step in my direction."

"I know…"

"Good… Now why don't you forget about trying to escape and enjoy the gift I've given you?"

"Yes… I like my gift." Reid said.

"It's okay…" Martin purred. "You and I are the same. I've arranged for you to have what you've always wanted in the deepest part of your heart, revenge on the ones that hurt you."

"Don't listen to him! It's been fourteen years. I'm sorry for what happened." The weak and pleading voice from the table begged.

"You shut up!" Martin growled.

He turned back to Reid and that sweet smile was back on his face. "You forgive him, don't you Spencer. It was just a prank, high spirits between class mates."

Reid's eyes flicked to the man on the table. Steven Jones was eyeing him with desperation, but there was contempt in the eyes too.

"I see the way he looks at you Spencer. He feels the same way about you that he did when you were an innocent child."

"Yes Martin… You're right about him." Reid agreed and Steve's eyes went round.

"Are you ready to take your rightful place with me? We'll be together always and avenge the wrongs done to us. "

"Yes Martin… I'm ready." He turned and went to the head of the autopsy table.

"Spencer…" Steven begged. "Please help me. You know I was a stupid kid. I'm sorry."

Martin moved in behind Reid and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Do what you've always dreamed off. It's fun… I promise you and no one can stop you."

Reid looked at the blade of the knife and was struck once again with how the light of the room shone on its surface like a guiding light.

"Yes… I know what I have to do." He raised the knife and it began a slow descent through the golden light.


	9. The Principal's office

_A/n hey all, here is the next chapter. Thank you all for your kind words and reviews. _

_Disclaimer: See the first chapter_

_Warning See the first chapter. Also a bit of language and some violence. _

**_The principal's office_**

Emily and Morgan pulled up at the entrance to George Washington High School. The large double doors seemed pretty formidable set into the red brickwork of the building. The brass door handles curved down to the brass door plate in the shape of an "s" and the upper portion of the doors were glass windows.

Emily followed Morgan from the black SUV he'd driven to the school, across the sidewalk, up the concrete steps and through the doors. The inside of the building was cool, and the tiled floor and hallways were quiet. It appeared that all the students were in class.

The office was to their right. The front wall of the office was windows top to bottom, and Emily could see the chairs lined up against the glass wall facing the long desk and counters. Behind the desk's chest high counter were two women. Emily opened the door that led into the office and approached the African American woman that had just put down the phone next to her arm. There was a computer to her right and a small red pen caddy. The woman looked up and tried to school her harried face into lines of calm, but Emily could see that she was furious. Her short hair was a riot of curls. She was plump and had a round face that Emily thought was usually pleasant when not dealing with unruly students.

"Can I help you…?" The woman clipped out.

"Yes please… We're with the FBI." They showed her their badges.

"Oh… How can I help you?"

"I'm Emily Prentiss and this is Derek Morgan. We'd like to see Principal Wallace Wentworth."

Emily watched the woman stifle the natural curiosity that made her want to ask questions. "Oh… this must be about the murders in the papers."

Morgan's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Did you know the victims?"

"No… they were students before my time. I recognized the names of the missing football players from the trophy case."

"We need to speak the Mr. Wentworth about those murders. Is he available," Emily asked, trying to keep the impatience out of her voice?

"I'll just tell him you're here. I'm his secretary."

She left the desk. There were two students sitting in chair in front of the office she entered, and neither one of them looked very happy. They were also staring furtively at the two agents. Emily wanted to laugh. She supposed they were in some kind of trouble.

The door opened again and the secretary emerged from the office. She was followed by a short, balding man of about forty five Emily guessed. His hair was dyed black, to hide the grey she supposed. His suit was dark charcoal grey, with a blood red tie and snow white shirt. The obligatory inch of cuff showed at the end of the suit jacket. His shoes and socks matched his suit. The shoes were polished to a high mirror shine. He wore a gold pinky ring on his right hand with a large, square cut ruby in the center. There was another gold band on the ring finger of his left hand, but it was as plain as the beige carpet under their feet. His face was unlined and looked too tightly toned to be natural.

"My secretary tells me you wish to see me." He directed his question at Morgan.

"Yes… I'm Supervisory Special Agent Derek Morgan," He turned and nodded to Emily. "This is Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss. We're from the Behavioral Analysis Unit," He used their full titles placing emphasis on Emily's name. The man finally turned to look at Emily and his dark brown eyes latched onto her breasts.

"May we speak in private?" Morgan said.

"Of course… I have my files in my office." He said officiously.

What a prick, Emily thought. She wanted to laugh and would have laughed afterwards in the car if Reid had been with her on this interview. She choked back the sudden desire to scream out in frustration.

The man led them into the office after admonishing the two students to sit still and shut up. He warned them that they were next. The principal at last wrenched his eyes from Emily's chest and shot daggers at the kids, who were ignoring him and laughing.

"Kids… They don't understand respect." He said shutting the door on the unruly kids.

He gestured to the two chairs in front of the oak desk. It was highly polished and looked a lot more expensive than a high school principal should be able to afford. The bookshelf behind the desk matched the color of the wood. The blinds were drawn and the artificial lights were harsh.

Emily took the chair to the left. "Mr. Wentworth, we're here to ask you some questions about some former students of your school. It would have been in nineteen ninety-four. That was your first year as principal here."

Wentworth answered her by addressing Morgan. "Yes… that was my first year in administration. Before that, I was a math teacher for five years at this same school."

"We'd like to discuss the incident that happened here that first year. It involved the entire football team and some of the other students. They attacked a young twelve year old boy. He was a senior at the time. You probably remember him, he's very gifted. His name is Spencer Reid." Emily continued. Anger was filling her gut with burning acid at being dismissed by this Grade A bastard.

"Spencer Reid…" He repeated. The tips of his stubby fingers were pressed together and his lips were pursed against them. "Let me get my files." He said to Morgan.

When he swiveled in his chair and turned his back on them, Emily glanced over at Morgan. He gave her a tiny nod and a tight smile.

"Ah yes… Spencer Reid… classified as a genius at the age of four. His IQ tested out at 187, eidetic memory, reading speed twenty thousand words per minute…"

"Yeah… we know all that… What we want to know is what exactly happened in that football field that day."

"I don't know what I can tell you, agents. I had no idea such a thing happened until I was informed that the boy had missed an extra credit assignment with one of his teachers. And that was hours after school was out for the day. "

"You didn't look for him." Emily asked tightly.

"We didn't think it was that big of a deal. He was the target of a lot of bullying. The other students didn't like his intellect, or his popularity with the other teachers," Wentworth defended to Morgan, with something in his dark eyes that Emily didn't like.

"A twelve year old kid goes missing at the end of the day, and you don't do anything." Morgan's eyes were beginning to flash with anger.

"We checked over the school and didn't find him. It was assumed that he'd just gone home. As I told you he was the target of a lot of bullying and never hung around very long after classes unless it was to help a teacher in a place where he'd be out of reach from his tormentors. It wasn't likely he'd be on the football field as I never remember him taking part in any sports or going to any of the games. We just didn't think to look out there."

As Morgan stared Wentworth down the man's complexion turned an unattractive mottled pink. "We do the best that we can with our gifted students but sometimes -"

"Sometimes they fall through the cracks." Emily stated flatly. A cold rush of anger was beginning to work its way up from her belly to her chest, which tightened unbearably.

"Yes… it's an unfortunate truth about public school. We just don't have the resources to meet the needs of every student. The boy was protected as well as he could be from harm. We didn't want to make it obvious to the other students that the teachers were looking after him. It would have made things more difficult for him with the other kids." His face was returning to normal color.

The enormous effort it took keep from leaping over the desk and strangling the Principal showed clearly in Morgan's eyes as Emily watched him size up this man. She wanted to encourage him to do just that. She would gladly watch it. She could see it in her mind, the little man's eyes bugging out of his head, his face getting beet red, his hand clawing at Morgan's to try and pull him off…

"Why didn't you call his mother or the police?" Emily asked.

"The boy's mother was mentally ill. Everyone knew that, and as for why we didn't call the police, I already explained about his habit of running off as soon the bell rung!" He was once again beginning to lose his composure.

"Alright… I've had just about enough of your attitude." Morgan barked.

The small man jumped in his chair when Morgan slammed his fist down on the desk with a loud thwacking sound. The framed photograph that faced away from Emily fell over with a crash.

He growled at the startled man. "You repeatedly ignore my partner when she speaks to you, and you dismiss the problems of one troubled young man as a resource problem. You can't even use his name. His name is Spencer Reid!"

"I don't think I've done anything to deserve this kind of treatment from the FBI. I'll be contacting your superiors."

"Go right ahead. We have a killer to find. My partner, Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Reid has disappeared, and is most likely in the hands of the same man that is killing your former students. Now the old quarterback of the football team, Steven Jones, has disappeared as well. You will tell us everything we want to know about that day. You will do everything in your power to help us find these men, and the un-sub, or I'll have you up on charges of obstruction of justice."

Wentworth finally acknowledged Emily. "Are you going to let him talk to me this way?"

"Yeah…" Emily shrugged. "I'd help him beat you to a bloody pulp, but we're in a hurry."

The small man seemed to see both of them for the first time. He slumped in his chair and stared at the green desk blotter in front of him. "I didn't know he was a friend, or one of your agents."

"It wouldn't have made a difference if you had, right."

Wentworth's face had gone cottage cheese pale and Emily could see that his hands were shaking. "I did what I thought was best. It was my first year as an administrator. I did the best I could!"

"So now we get to the truth… You were afraid of the students and the parents." Morgan suddenly calmed and sat down in his chair. He was smiling like Wentworth had become his best friend. Emily felt a desire to laugh and squelched it.

Wentworth eyed the profiler warily before responding. "Yes… I was a new administrator, but I know that's no excuse. The boy - I mean Spencer - was an exceptional young man. I knew that his abilities would set him apart. I felt that if I stood for him over the others it would send the wrong message."

"I see… so you felt that the bullying and the teasing was just a way for Agent Reid to develop a thick skin to survive life in a world that is, for the most part, a lot stupider than he is."

"Yes…"

"Well… you're right. Spencer Reid is the strongest person I know. He has miles more guts than you do. He stood in front of an armed man not so long ago and talked him into surrendering. He saved a lot of lives that day. I just don't see you doing that."

Morgan sat back in his chair as if he were about to hear secret confessions of a good friend. He crossed one leg on the other knee and laid his arms on the arms of the chair.

"I had to think about all of my students," The small man insisted.

"Yeah… well… now it's our job to worry about them too. We have to make sure they are protected and that the ringleader of this assault is saved from a horrible death. Emily... I don't know about you… but I'm feeling a little conflicted about that."

"So do I, it makes you wonder how Reid feels at just this moment." Emily agreed.

Morgan shot to his feet again… "I'm done playing with you. We have two teachers and one of your janitorial staff to speak to. Get them gathered together now."

"Don't you dare tell me what to do?" Wentworth had also risen to his feet. His face turned dark red and his balding pate was visibly beaded with sweat.

"I'd watch my step if I were you." Morgan said.

Wentworth sat down. "I'll call them in…"

Morgan gave him the names. Wentworth smiled at the mention of Michael Hawke. Morgan began to bristle again and Emily wondered if the little man had a death wish.

"I don't see anything funny." She said.

Wentworth finally faced her and acknowledged her straight on. "Oh… I think you'll understand once you meet Michael."

He spoke with contempt and Morgan bristled again. "What is that supposed to mean."

"Come with me… Let's go talk to Michael." He led them out of the room.

--

Reid looked at the blade of the knife, and was struck once again with how the light of the room shone on its surface like a guiding light.

"Yes… I know what I have to do." He raised the knife and it began a slow descent through the golden light.

_"Please don't leave me here."_

_The football players left the field one by one as boredom overtook the fun of their little prank. The boy was too whiny. They were tired of listening to him cry and beg._

_"Don't worry little boy… someone will find you here tomorrow. They'll take you home to mama."_

_"Someone please help me…" He screamed after them._

_"Why don't you pull a rabbit out of your hat and use it to nibble through the ropes. We thought you were a real magician." Only Steven Jones remained behind with his girl friend Judy._

_"Come on Steve… This is boring. I don't want to be here anymore." She whined._

_"Okay baby…"_

_They laughed and Judy kissed him as they walked away from Spencer, ignoring the desperate begging he'd been reduced to, something he swore he would never do._

_Something broke in his mind and he vowed some kind of revenge. As the sun set, it flashed in his eyes, like the knife in his hand._

The knife finished its descent and Martin screamed when the tip drove into Spencer's own leg. The hot blood was the only thing Reid felt. Pain was blocked out by the shock of metal cutting into flesh. The leg collapsed and he fell to the unforgiving tile floor. The light above his head became brighter for a minute, and then Martin's face filled the whole world in front of him. The man's lips were moving at him, but he couldn't hear anything the man was saying. All of the sound had gone from the world and now darkness was falling, but he wasn't afraid.


	10. One step forward, one step back

_A/n hello all. Once again thank you all for your great feedback. Here is the next chapter._

_Disclaimer: See the first chapter._

_Warning: See the first chapter_

**_On step forward, one step back _**

Wentworth took the agents to speak with the two teachers that had known Spencer in school. For various reasons, neither of them could be the un-sub. They both had alibis for all of the abduction dates. Morgan called Garcia to check them out, but he knew it would have been too easy to find Reid through them. For one thing, he didn't think this particular un-sub was bold enough to kidnap a federal agent, and then come into work as though nothing had happened.

Morgan and Emily followed Wentworth down the main hallway of the school and around the corner to the left for their last interview. A bell rang just as they made their way into a doorway with the words Custodian on the frosted window.

A tall, thin man with coffee colored skin and black curly hair sat behind a scratched metal desk. He was writing on a large, yellow lined notepad and consulting a computer that sat to the right of his desk. It was the newest piece of equipment in the room. He looked up at them as they filed into the room.

"Hank… These FBI agents would like to talk to Michael. Do you know where he is?"

"Sure Boss…" The man said with contempt that Wentworth didn't seem to notice. "He's cleaning up around the boiler room."

Wentworth headed out of the room without another word. "Thanks…" Emily said as they left the room behind the small administrator.

Wentworth led them through the maze of concrete hallways and flickering yellow overheard lights to the last room on the left. He opened the door and smirked at the agents when they passed through to the boiler room.

"This is Michael." He gestured to the man that was sweeping up the floor.

"Mr. Hawke." Morgan called.

The young man didn't respond to Morgan's use of his name. "Hey… Mr. Hawke! FBI… We need to speak to you." He stepped forward and touched the shoulder of the stout man.

The man turned and smiled brightly at Morgan. "Who new people…" He said to Wentworth.

"These are FBI agents… They want to ask you some questions.

"Want to ask some questions," The man repeated.

Emily shrugged her shoulders at Morgan's bewildered look. The stout man had a round face and beautiful dark eyes. He also had the facial characteristics of Down's syndrome.

Morgan rallied and smiled at the young man. "Hi Michael… My name is Derek Morgan. This is Emily Prentiss" Emily smiled and said hello

Michael pushed the broom again, rising a bit of dust at Morgan's feet. "Derek Morgan. Emily Prentiss." His speech was only lightly impeded by the thick tongue common to Downs.

"Yeah… Our friend is missing and we need to find him."

"Michael doesn't know Derek and Emily's friend."

"We know that now… I suppose it was kind of silly for us to look for him in the basement of a school."

"Silly…" Michael repeated and he laughed with childlike abandon.

"Thank you Michael, for letting us search in here." Emily said.

"You're welcome… Michael hopes Emily finds her friend."

"Thank you Michael."

"Michael has lots of friends. Derek and Emily are Michael's new friends."

"Sure Michael…" Derek said. Emily felt hot tears in the back of her throat and pushed back the desire to give in to them.

Morgan put a hand on her shoulder. "We're going to find Spencer…"

Michael stopped the ceaseless pushing of the broom and stared at Morgan with something that looked like recognition. "Derek knows Spencer," He said with some excitement.

"Yeah…"

"Spencer is Michael's bestest friend."

Wentworth spoke up in a condescending and dismissive manner. "Michael, these people are FBI agents, they don't have time for your wild imaginings."

"Michael knows Spencer." The man insisted.

"Wentworth… Leave the boy alone." A voice said from the door.

Hank walked into the room. "I didn't realize you were Spencer's friends." He told the startled agents.

"What's this nonsense…?" Wentworth demanded. His face was getting an ugly shade of red, again.

"If you bothered to leave that office of yours, you'd know that Spencer comes here once a year, when he comes back home to visit his mother. He and Michael were in school together and have been friends ever since."

Morgan and Emily continued to gape at each other and the gentle man with the broom. Michael nodded his head enthusiastically. "Spencer is Michael's friend."

"This is ridiculous. Hank… Get back to your desk before -"

"Before you what… fire me?" He asked. "The custodial staff has a union too…"

"Fine… Are we done here?" He directed his question to Morgan.

"Oh yeah… we're done here."

Wentworth stalked out of the room without another word.

"Now… Why don't you come back to my office and I'll tell you what I know." He smiled at Michael who was waving at them.

"See ya buddy…" Morgan said.

"Yeah… see you later." Emily assured him.

The man went back to sweeping his floor and the agents followed Hank back to his office. He gave the agents chairs, and coffee, before taking his place on the other side of his desk.

"That was nicely done," Morgan said with a grin.

"I know where all the skeletons are hidden. Wentworth likes to think he runs this place, but it's all the little peons that he commands that keep this school from falling apart. He's a good political animal that loves to schmooze with suits at the fundraiser. He thinks he's a great disciplinarian, but in reality the kids think he's a joke. He's kept his job because he's a former rich kid frat boy with connections."

"You sir, should have a job with the BAU," Morgan was impressed and Emily nodded in agreement.

"No way… I get enough of a challenge with these kids."

"Fair enough… So what can you tell us about Dr. Reid?"

"I've worked here for seven years. I met Dr. Reid before he joined the FBI. He walked in here one day asking for Michael, and I wondered who this young man was that looked like a strong wind could blow him away. Michael was in here with me and we were eating out lunch. You saw that Michael is very friendly, but he nearly knocked your friend over with his hug of greeting."

They met here at school and I think they sort of protected each other as best they could. Most of the kids love Michael and are kind. Some of them tease him and the football team in nineteen ninety four was the worst. There were a couple of the players that got along with Michael. When Spencer was around they stayed off his back.

It was strange to me in the beginning, because I got that Spencer is a very gifted man, and Michael has his own challenges, but then I realized they compliment each other."

Morgan was nodding his head. Spencer had a way of using his talents to make the BAU team a cohesive whole. "Is there anyone else that you know of, that Michael might have mentioned, or Reid may have talked about?"

"Yeah… I heard Michael asking Dr. Reid about a teacher called Martin Bradshaw. Michael was very upset one day three years ago when Martin didn't show up for a football game. Michael loves the football and Martin used to sit with him at the games.

From what I was able to learn, Mr. Bradshaw is a genius like Dr. Reid. He was a student teacher here at twenty one, I think. He had it tough. The kids were so close to his age that the respect just wasn't there. He related to Dr. Reid as a child because they were the same age intellectually. I don't know if he's the person that you're looking for. He was a very quiet, and shy man when I first knew him.

His parents were very wealthy and he went to all the best Ivy League schools. I think they were upset when he decided to become a teacher and moved out here to the sticks. Las Vegas for them was a place you visited on New Years Eve to gamble."

"It seems strange that no one thought anything might be the least bit inappropriate in an adult having such a close relationship with a twelve year old boy in high school, regardless of their intellectual evenness." Morgan observed.

Emily noticed the way that his hands had tightened into fists in his lap and she gave him a look which he responded to with a shake of his head.

"I wasn't here, so I can't tell you the true nature of their relationship." Hank said. He was toying with the pen in his hands, but he looked them both right in the eye.

"What else can you tell us about him?"

"Not much… he didn't confide in anyone. I don't even know if he has other family or friends. He just quit one day without notice after his father died. He disappeared and they replaced him."

Emily and Morgan got to their feet and Hank showed them out. "I hope you find Dr. Reid unharmed. Michael looks forward to his visits and I must admit that I do too. I'm curious to see what new magic trick he's learned." The man grinned, and it made Morgan unclench his fists.

They left the school and headed back out to the SUV. "I can't believe he never told us about any of this." Emily pulled her seat belt over her chest and clicked the lock.

"He's a very private person," Was all the Morgan could say.

"He dealt with a lot, but Reid wasn't abused, if that's what you're thinking." Emily tried to assure her friend, but the truth was that she didn't know for sure.

"How do you know," Morgan asked while steering the car into traffic.

"There would be signs." Emily insisted.

"I know… but as we just learned, none of us really know him. All of the things he had to do as a child just to make it through every day. It must have been a private hell."

"Yeah…" Emily watched the casinos roll by, and wondered just what she was going to do when this was over and she had her Spencer back.

--

"_No… Please don't… I don't want it."_

_The pain from the prick of the needle faded away with the rush of euphoria from the drug. The pleasure was almost sexual in nature and he couldn't suppress the shudders that wracked him from head to foot. _

"_Mama… Where are you…?"_

_He screamed into the black veil of darkness that dropped over his vision. The door was right in front of him but every time he reached out for it, his hand swam through emptiness. _

_The sunlight suddenly blinded him. He squinted against it. His arms were numb from being raised over his head for so long. The rope bit into his wrists_.

"_Won't someone help me?" He tried to shout, but his throat was on fire and the words came out in a whisper. _

"_I'm here Spencer…" The familiar voice said. _

"_I can't see you."_

"_I know… I can't help you Spencer."_

"_Why…"_

_There was no answer. It was pitch black dark again. Hands came out of the darkness and touched his face. It was a tender caress. _

"_Mama…"_

_Something cool and wet was touching his leg. It made the pain go away. The darkness was still there. It wouldn't lift off of his mind. _

_Someone grabbed his hands and pulled his arms over his head. There was a click and he couldn't move._

_His leg hurt again, someone was wrapping something soft over the place that hurt. A hand touched his face again. _

His eyes opened and Martin stood over him. He tried to move but his arms were pulled over his head and held tightly to something. His mind was clear so the Dilaudid must have been a dream, a memory left over from Georgia.

"Why did you do that Spencer?"

"I won't be like you." Reid wheezed out. The pain in his leg was coming back like a throbbing tooth.

Martin slapped him hard across the face. "I'm giving you the only opportunity you'll ever have to be extraordinary and you screw it up."

"I don't need you." Reid said.

"Your friends aren't coming for you." Martin suddenly switched tactics.

He moved out of Reid's line of vision, and Reid saw the same ceiling he'd seen in the double of his own bedroom above his head. He yanked on the restraints and Martin chuckled.

"You have spunk. I remember the tutoring sessions we had together. You were the brightest star in my world fourteen years ago. I know the first time that I saw you that we were the same."

"We're not the same… I don't have to hurt someone to feel powerful."

Instead of lashing out, Martin became a bit pensive. "We are the same. We're smarter than all those little people that swim around in the ocean of life. We are the sharks. We are the predators that can make them all our prey, to dance to our tune. You have to embrace that in yourself, Spencer."

His hand was back on Spencer's face. Reid jerked out of the man's grasp. "I know what you're trying to do. It won't work. You think that by injuring yourself, you can save that pathetic excuse for a man in the next room. If won't work…"

Martin stood up. "Stay still… I'm not a doctor, but I know you didn't hit a major artery with that stunt. You would have bled to death by now. I'll get you back on your feet and when I do…" He made a slashing mark across his throat. "I'll show you how much fun taking vengeance can be."

Martin left the room, slamming the door behind him. Reid jerked on his hands again, they were cuffed tightly to the headboard of the bed. He rattled the cuffs again. This time there was a whine and a groan behind his head. He pulled with all his strength and the upper part of his body moved up. He pulled again and another whine sounded behind him. He angled his head around and what he saw made him smile. Perhaps this wouldn't be so hard after all.


	11. Handcuffs and Headboards

_A/n hey all… Thank you all so much for all the great feedback and insight you've given me with your reviews. And thanks to all those who have added this to their alerts and favorites._

_Disclaimer: See the first chapter_

_Warning: See the first chapter_

_**Handcuffs and Headboards. **_

Martin left the room, slamming the door behind him. Reid jerked on his hands again, they were cuffed tightly to the headboard of the bed. He rattled the cuffs again. This time there was a whine and a groan behind his head. He pulled with all his strength and the upper part of his body moved up. He pulled again and another whine sounded behind him. He angled his head around and what he saw made him smile. Perhaps this wouldn't be so hard after all.

It appeared that Martin had missed something in setting up this room. The spindle, to which he'd cuffed Reid, moved as though it was loose. He could see the white bone of the wood under the wood stain.

His heart began to race in excitement and anticipation. He craned his head around as far as he could to get a good look at the hand cuffs. Some of the excitement was crushed by the sight of the Smith and Wesson Model 100 double lock handcuffs.

"Ok… Now don't panic…" Reid said to himself, in what he thought was a very calm and rational tone."The cuffs are law enforcement grade, but you can handle it if you stay calm."

The problem was that his body wanted to panic and send his heart rate racing. It wanted to cloud his mind so that he couldn't think clearly. It wanted to make him scream like a girl.

"Just breathe, in and out and think." He coached the rational part of his brain and heart. Sweat was gathering on his forehead and running down his back.

The pain in his leg was almost gone though. "Now use the adrenaline that's numbing your leg. It's time for flight." He said.

But Reid's thoughts kept going back to the room, and the few seconds of exhilaration he'd felt at having the one person in the world that had terrified him as a child, at his mercy. He'd wanted to plunge that knife into Steven Jones and make him pay for the humiliation and fear he'd made him feel.

He began to take several deep breaths and make his body relax. He pulled on the cuffs again with all the strength he had in his arms. There was a cracking sound and a bit of give to the wooden spindle. A fleeting thought entered his mind. Martin was a genius. Killers like him were the best profilers. Maybe he'd restrained him that way so that Reid would get over confident. Maybe he wanted Reid to get loose so he could catch him and laugh at Reid's feeble attempt to escape. Well… it didn't matter… Reid knew he had to try. If he didn't try and Stephen died or Martin did what Reid knew he wanted to do to his 'sweet Spencer,' Reid would never recover. He stopped struggling and thinking and took several precious minutes to breathe deeply. Then he began again.

He'd thought that Martin had equipped this room to mirror his bedroom at home. The headboard of his bed at home had been purchased from a flea market in Washington DC. Reid remembered recognizing it as an antique under the terrible white paint. He taken it home, and stripped off the paint, to find lovely pine wood. He sanded it, and re-stained, it to bring out the natural beauty of the wood. His headboard was well made and strong. This headboard must be the kind of 'cookie cutter cheap' that was sold in discount stores. He yanked again, and the small spindle that was meant only for decorative purposes moved, but it didn't crack this time.

"Come on… You have to get out of here. What would Morgan say if you don't?"

His thoughts turned to Morgan, his friend and his partner. Morgan knew what it was like to suffer as a child. Reid had been surprised to hear that Morgan had been the target of bullies too. While he sympathized, he also felt relief that he wasn't the only one. Was that wrong to feel that way? Did it make him a bad person?

His arms were trembling from the strain on them, but his leg stayed numb. He lifted his uninjured leg and bent it at the knee. He tried to use it to help his body weight snap the wood. There was another scream of wood behind his head.

The voice of his boss Hotch invaded his head. _"I trust you Reid. You are stronger than all of us. Remember what you've already overcome."_

Rossi was the next one to pop into his head. David had put up with his hero worship and let it evolve into true respect. He didn't complain when Reid had insisted on making him listen to most of the "Foundation Trilogy," on their drive to Pennsylvania. He wasn't afraid to push the team when they needed it.

Another push and pull with his leg and his arms, which were on fire. Another creak but the cuffs were still tight around the wood.

Garcia was the one to talk to him next. He could see her face in his head with her red framed glassed and lipstick to match.

"_Hey baby cakes… You gonna let the unsub win? If you get your cute self killed, I'll bring you back to life and kill you again."_

He felt himself beginning to laugh and it took all the strength out of his arms. "Okay… get control and stop messing around." He scolded himself, shutting Garcia out of his head. Now was not the time to laugh.

He pulled hard again and another crack, louder this time, came from the wood. There was movement in the cuffs, and excitement sent his heart back into overdrive and he had to stop.

"_Hey Spence… Get it together! I need my poker buddy back." _

JJ's voice was in his head now and he wondered if he was going nuts. It didn't matter if he was, JJ was his friend, she and the others would lead him back if his mind had betrayed him. His family wouldn't leave him no matter what Martin said.

He was almost out of breath and his heart wouldn't calm down. _"Hey Spencer… Don't you give up on me? I love you so much. Don't let him break you. You're stronger than he is!_

Emily… Her voice was the loudest. He could almost see her standing in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest, looking irritated with him as only she could.

Another yank and the cuffs were free of the spindle. His arms fell to his abdomen and he stopped to get his breath and let the circulation come back to his hands and lower arms. The voices were gone, but he could still feel the goodwill of his friends and Emily never left the inside of his head. She was smiling at him and her dark eyes showed all the things no one else but he got to see.

When he could feel his hands again, he lifted one foot and used his cuffed hands to pull off one Converse shoe. He felt into the small slit he'd made into the right side of the shoe at the lining of the sole. The bobby pin slipped out and he used it to quickly open the cuffs. He rubbed at his wrists till they stopped tingling. He went to put the cuffs in his back pocket, when he finally realized that his cords had been removed. He sat there in a pair of white boxers, looking at the ruined and blood stained pants thrown across the room.

It didn't matter. He'd run out of here even if the man had left him naked. It wasn't important. He put the cuffs between the mattress and the box springs. Just in case! He slipped on his shoe and stood up carefully. His stab wound hurt a little, but most of the pain was still dulled by adrenaline. Now it was time to take a look around. There had to be some kind of weapon he could use to…

He went through the drawers of the cherry wood dresser quickly. There was nothing there to help him, but a lot of clothes that looked like they were his size and the same style. Some of it wasn't clothing he would ever wear.

The sweat that had dried on his forehead was popping out again. One drop rolled over down his face and dropped on the black silk boxers that lay on top of a stack of underwear.

He slammed the door shut and sat down heavily on the bed behind him. This was ridiculous. He had to get out of there. He couldn't take Steven Jones with him but maybe he could.

It was too late… There was a rattle in the door… Now what!

--

Martin entered the room and stopped short in utter surprise. The bed was empty. The sheets were covered in drying red blood, and Spencer was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't possible. The door was locked and the windows were barred. He walked in slowly trying to look everywhere at once.

"Come on out Spencer… I don't know how you got out of those cuffs, but …" Spencer stepped out of the door to the bathroom with his hands up. He lurched forward and almost fell on the bed.

"I told you not to try and move. You're going to damage that leg."

"I'm sorry Martin… Would you help me?" He said.

Martin looked into those eyes that had always made him forget everything else around him. He moved over to Reid's side and grabbed him when he almost fell. The gun fell out of his hand, and he turned Reid around so that his arm was around his chest holding him tight against his body.

"What are you trying to do? Why don't you just give up and give into your baser desires. I'm here because I want to help you do that.

Martin kissed Reid's cheek and Reid tried not to pull away from the lips on his cheek. "I love you Spencer. I always have. Can't you understand that you and I are the same?"

"I know we are Martin… I know that something happened to you that you felt was beyond your control. I know how that feels.

Martin held him closer and used the other hand to stroke Reid hair. He breathed in deep and sighed. "You're so beautiful… Even as a child you were the most beautiful thing in the world to me."

"What happened to you?" Reid asked, relaxing against the bigger man. Nausea was trying to make him empty his stomach at the touch and caresses the man was making to his head and cheek.

The man whispered in his ear. "My mother was a bitch. She touched me and did things… Things a parent shouldn't do, and when I told my father, he beat me up. No one cared about me, so I got out on my own and I swore I'd protect kids from bad people." His voice had become that of a small child. "I couldn't protect you from those football players. I'm sorry that I couldn't… I was too weak, but now I'm strong!"

The crack in his voice reminded Reid of himself, and all the times he'd cried because he was too small to defend himself against the bullies. Martin's arms were relaxing around his chest. Reid leaned back and shifted his head so that his hair slipped across his captive's face. He couldn't see Martin's eyes, but he heard the man moan and he could feel the man's body respond to the caress. He shifted against him again and Martin licked his cheek. Martin's arms held him so loosely that Reid could move. He turned in the man's relaxed arms and lifted his foot. He slammed it down into the other man's instep. Martin screamed and Reid shifted and pivoted. He rammed one elbow into Martin's Adam's apple. The man's hands went to his neck, and he began to gasp and choke. Reid lifted his knee again and jammed it into Martin's groin and the man went down with like a sack of potatoes. He limped over to the bed and pulled out the handcuffs.

He had just cuffed Martin's hands behind his back when there was a commotion in the hallway, and the most wonderful sound of Morgan and Hotch shouting "FBI."

He stood over Martin Bradshaw with the retrieved gun, pointing it at the man who was starting to groan and twist on the floor.

Morgan was first through the door. "Reid…" He looked at the man on the floor, and then back to his partner, who was white faced and trembling.

"Looks like you got everything under control." Morgan said.

The grin that had bloomed over Morgan's face, left when Reid began to sway on his feet. "Yeah… Thanks for the extra self defense lessons."

"You're welcome Reid."

"Hey Morgan… I think I'm gonna faint now."

Morgan jumped forward and caught the thinner man before he hit the ground. "Hotch… get the medics in here." He shouted.


	12. Confrontations

_A/n hello everyone... Here's the next chapter for you. Thanks to you all for your kind words of support. You're all wonderful._

_Disclaimer: See first chapter_

_Warming: See first chapter_

_**Confrontations**_

Reid was lying propped up on a hospital bed in the emergency room. The area he occupied was sectioned off with floor-to-ceiling curtains that were light blue in color. He was looking at the cream colored blanket covering the lower half of his body, and wondering why it took doctors in the ER so long to see patients.

When they had brought him in to the ER he was unconscious. He'd woken up about the time the gurney came through the doors. The doctor had checked his leg and ordered a whole round of tests. Reid complained when they took more of his blood, pointing out that he'd already lost some. The nurse had smiled indulgently and gently "persuaded him into accepting Tylenol for the pain. They had him hooked up to IV fluids and a broad spectrum antibiotic. She also gave him a tetanus booster.

His leg was nicely numb again, but his mind remained clear. They had stitched him up and told him he would be admitted to a room in a couple of hours. The doctor wanted to see him again after he'd been given initial fluids. He was supposed to stay overnight, and then get his bandage changed

He wanted to go home. He wanted his own bed. He wanted Emily in the worst way. He looked up at the curtain that covered the front of his hidey-hole and sighed. Maybe if he closed his eyes and made a wish, she'd appear.

_Yeah, that will happen, genius. While you're at it, why don't you use the power of your mind to bring about world peace?_

He closed his eyes and wished for a long vacation in some warm place with blue water, and iced coffee. Emily would be there and…

"Hey stud…"

Her voice made him open his eyes and smile. "It worked…" He said happily and with some wonder.

"What worked…?" She asked?

"It's nothing important. I'm just glad to see you." He replied.

"Well I'm glad you're so happy, because I'm going to kill you?"

Maybe the loss of blood had affected his hearing, because he could have sworn she said she wanted to kill him. Then he looked at her and realized she was serious.

"W-what did I do?" He was so confused. Was it the medication?

"The doctor talked to Hotch when he was told that Hotch is your emergency contact. He told us that the doctor said your leg wound was self-inflicted. She wanted to call in a psych evaluation on you. Hotch talked her out of it and promised you'd see a shrink at Quantico. You want to tell me what the hell is wrong with you? "

"Emily… We don't have a lot of privacy here. Would you keep your voice down?"

"Fine…" She pulled the chair close to his bed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm waiting…" She said in a stage whisper.

So he told her everything. He didn't leave out any details. He laid it all out for her, and tears ran down her face by the time he finished. He was shaking and his voice had cracked and was squeaking badly.

"I'm sorry… I didn't know." She stood and then leaned in to hug him tightly.

"I'm sorry if I scared you. I just did what I thought was the only thing I could do to save Steven and myself."

"I know… I just love you so much… I don't want to lose you." She kissed him and her lips were the warmest thing in the world.

When she let him breathe again, he asked. "Hey… why are you here instead of Hotch?"

"He told me to come in first, but the others are getting antsy. You're supposed to call Garcia before the night is over or I quote, 'She will black list you from getting Comic-Con tickets for the rest of your life.'"

"Now that is a threat I take seriously." He said.

--

Hotch was the first one to see him in the morning. He was in the middle of getting dressed to go home. Hotch had spoken to Dr. Sealy and she had detailed the care that Reid would need. He had to have his dressing changed regularly, the sutures would come out in about a week and there was a prescription for Cipro to be filled. He would continue to take Tylenol for pain.

The nurse helping him put on his pants was very short and brunette with blond streaks. He looked up and blushed furiously when Hotch walked in after one knock on the door. The nurse looked up at the strangled sound Reid made and grinned at Hotch.

"Hi… I'm Patti…" She had an arm around his waist and seemed to be holding him up while he pulled a pant leg up over his injured leg.

"I'm Agent Hotchner, his boss." Hotch felt the wild desire to laugh, and choked it back.

"He's all ready to go home." Patti said. She helped Reid sit down.

"I'm in the room." Reid said irritably.

"I know…." Patti said, patting his arm like a mother with her little boy. "Behave and you'll get out of here sooner. "

She turned around and headed for the door. "Nice to meet you by the way," She winked at Hotch.

Reid stuck his tongue out at her behind her back. "I saw that," she said.

Hotch shut the door and sat on the chair next to Reid's bed. "I know you talked to everyone last night, but I wanted to speak to you alone before everyone else gets here."

There was a tone that made Reid's trouble antenna go up fast. "What's happened?" He asked.

"Bradshaw won't talk to us. We know that his mother disappeared three years ago and we think she may have been his first victim."

"I think you're right."

Reid related what Martin had told him about the abuse he'd endured. "I'm sure if she's dead, he killed her"

"I'm here to ask you to talk to him. I know that you've been through a terrible ordeal, but we need to know where she is. We know most of what happened to your old classmates, but not all of it. I think he'll tell you everything."

Reid listened to Hotch speak and his heart began to race in his chest. Hotch was right… He was going to have to see Martin again. His stomach began to knot and he felt a bit faint.

"Reid… you don't have to do this. If you say no and walk away now, I'll understand and so will everyone else."

"You're wrong Hotch… I do have to do this."

His hands were white at the knuckles and Hotch wanted to argue and make him go home, but Reid would do his duty to the end.

"Okay… let's get you released."

--

When Patti came back with the wheelchair she informed Reid that someone wanted to see him before he left. She wheeled him down the hallway and into another room.

He was amazed to see Steven Jones in the bed. He'd been beaten but was otherwise unharmed. "Mr. Jones… Agent Reid is here." Patti said softly.

The man's eyes fluttered open and went wide when he saw Reid in the wheelchair. "Are you okay Agent Reid."

"Yeah… just a scratch," Reid said. His back was stiff in his chair and all the hatred he'd had for this man for so long was trying to overwhelm him, but he bit it back.

"I wanted to thank you for saving my life. I… I wanted to… I wanted to say I'm so sorry for what we did in school. I was a stupid kid. I know that's not in any way a valid excuse, but I hope you'll forgive me one day."

"I did what I had to do Mr. Jones. You don't have to thank me.

"Call me Steve." Jones said as though bestowing a great favor.

"Look… I'm not interested in being friends with you. A simple apology doesn't cut it and you know it."

Steve went white under the bruises on his face and hitched in a breath. "I'm sorry that you can't let it go."

"You see," Spencer said looking him right in the eye. "That's what you don't get… When a bully finally crosses someone that stands up to him and gets beaten down, he turns it around on the person that he was trying to hurt in the first place. Don't you realize that your friends are dead? Don't misunderstand me… I never wanted any of you dead. Did I wish harm on you? Yes… you humiliated me... you all laughed at me and called me despicable names. Now you want forgiveness. How would you feel if it were you in my place? Would you so easily forgive me? No… I didn't think you would."

Steven had been silent during this and his face had gone red. "I'm sorry," He said softly.

"I believe you are. But I'm not your friend."

Reid looked up at Patti who was looking anywhere but at the two of them. "I'd like to go now."

"Sure…" She smiled down at him and then threw Steven a nasty look before wheeling him out of the room.

--

Reid walked into the police barracks under his own power. Well… his own power and a cane. Morgan had helped him out of the car and was loudly expressing his disapproval.

"You don't have to talk to him Reid."

"I've told you five times… I have to talk to him."

"Why…"

"Because he's right about us… we are the same."

"You're nothing like him Reid."

There were several cops looking at them. Detective Sorenson strode up to them. "Hey slim… The cane suits you."

"Thanks Detective," He said through gritted teeth.

"Come on… I'll take you to see him."

Detective Sorenson led them through the noisy bullpen. The interrogation room was to the right of the precinct. To get there they had to pass the small kitchen area that held the fabled bad coffee and day old donuts the detective had bragged about.

Detective Sorenson was chatting quietly with Reid when Officers Norton and Jimenez entered the hall from the kitchen with steaming coffee mugs in their hands.

"Hey Sorenson…" Officer Jimenez dropped an exaggerated wink in her direction, "You're lookin' good today!"

"Do you want to end up in diversity class again?"

"No… I'm just trying to be nice." Jimenez back tracked. "You gotta relax Detective, and learn to enjoy life."

"I won't be 'enjoying' it with you, that's for sure."

"You don't have to be insulting," Jimenez had lost the appreciative gleam in his eyes. The black orbs darkened even more with anger.

Norton gestured toward Reid, who was leaning on his cane and silently watching the confrontation. Morgan was giving both men a look that should have made them think twice about what they were about to do. Unfortunately they didn't pay attention to the tension that had wrapped around them all.

"It looks like Sorenson prefers the bean pole."

Jimenez laughed derisively. "Really… that true Sorenson, you taking brains over brawn."

"If brains were all I was interested in, almost anyone but you would do, Jimenez. You're just jealous because you didn't take down an armed suspect by yourself after jamming a knife into your own leg. He saved a man with that act. That's the essence of 'to serve and protect.' You and your buddy here are more interested in impressin' the ladies, than you are doin' your job."

"Detective, you don't have to say -"

Detective Sorenson interrupted Reid. "Don't worry about me Slim. I can take care of myself."

The officers were both red faced and angry. Jimenez was flexing and un-flexing his fists.

"You want to take a shot at me, go ahead. After Agent Morgan and I show you both the error of your ways, I'll have you up on charges with Lt. McKnight."

"Naw… you're not worth," Norton said dismissively. The officers pushed past Sorenson and Morgan without another word.

When they were out of earshot Norton said to Jimenez. "You believe all that crap."

"Why not, I never claimed to understand women."

"So… what's Dr. Reid got that we haven't got."

"A set of balls the size of Texas." Jimenez pointed out.

--

Detective Sorenson continued down the hall to the interrogation room with the agents. "Remind me not to cross you," Morgan said.

"I only give respect when it's earned. Those two don't deserve the uniform."

Reid's face was returning to its normal pale color from the red that had come into it when she had defended him. "Thanks," He said shyly.

"You're welcome. Now here we are," It was quiet in the hallway and she stopped them outside the room. "He's in there and all trussed up good and proper. Are you sure you want to do this, slim?"

"He's not thinking clearly. I think the meds have messed up his head." Morgan insisted.

Reid ignored his partner and gave Detective Sorenson a weak smile. "Yeah… I'm okay."

"Ok … I'll have a guard outside the door and your team is observing. The rest of them are in the observation side of the room."

"Thanks detective," Reid said.

She winked at him again and entered the observation room.

"Reid… You don't have to prove anything!" Morgan tried again.

"Yeah… I do… He said we are alike and we are… the difference is in our choices. I chose to let it go. He chose to let it consume him." Reid said. "I'm not Owen Savage."

Morgan put a hand on his shoulder, "I know that kid."

"Please… just let me go, and watch to make sure he doesn't kill me."

"That's not funny Reid."

"I know… I'm just trying to make myself laugh, so I don't freak out and run screaming away from here."

"Reid…" Morgan said with some exasperation.

"I know… It will be okay." Reid said. "Wish me luck."

Morgan watched the young man open the door. Why did he feel like he'd just thrown his friend to the big, bad wolf?


	13. It was all for you!

_A/n hey all… Here is the talk with Martin you've been waiting for. Thanks again for all your kind reviews and feedback. _

_Disclaimer: See the first chapter_

_Warnings: See the first chapter_

_**It was all for you!**_

Reid opened the door to the interrogation room and limped in, leaning more heavily on the cane than he really needed to. He shut the door and walked around the table to sit across from the tall, muscular man that was chained and shackled to it. The chair was miserably uncomfortable… He wasn't going to be able to sit for long.

"You look tired baby…" Martin said.

"How I am… That doesn't matter Martin!"

"It does to me. Why can't you believe that after all I've done for you?"

"Yes Martin… I know you did what you did to help me. I'm grateful to you."

Martin began to laugh. "I know you don't really feel that way sweet Spencer. You're an FBI agent. You're first, and foremost, a protector of the innocent. Can't you see that the ones I punished for you weren't innocent?"

"I know Martin… They did a terrible thing. I was angry at all of them for a long time."

Martin reached out with his hands toward Spencer. His range of motion was hampered by the chains… Even so, his fingertips almost brushed Spencer's hands. Reid didn't pull back from this attempt at contact, and Martin smiled.

"I know you were angry… That's why I killed them all. It was all for you." The man's voice was rising, but Reid remained in his seat, silent and watching as the man stared him down.

Martin's hands turned into fists, and his knuckles were white. "I saw everything that happened to you. I couldn't help you. I thought about confronting them, but it was like my feet were rooted to the spot. I don't know if it was shock at the cruelty, or what. I kept thinking about my mom and everything she did to me. They finally got bored and they left. I was hiding under the bleachers and I thought that when they'd left, I'd free you. I really was going to help, but then I really saw you and how beautiful you were. I wanted to touch you. I had all these terrible thoughts in my head about the things I wanted to do to you. I was so ashamed of myself it that moment. I wanted to further humiliate you and take pleasure in your body. I had to run far away. I'm so sorry I left you there like that. I was a weak man. Now I'm stronger."

Reid kept silent and tried to ignore his leg, which was beginning to throb. He made the pain keep his mind clear while he listened to Martin.

"I went back to the school and it was very late. I just wanted to be there… I don't know why I went back. I went to the football field, but you were gone. I was glad because I thought someone helped you. Then the next day I found out that no one had helped you. Even that stupid prick Wentworth didn't know anything about what the kids did to you. I tried to make him punish them, but the coward was afraid of the parents and the football coach. He threatened to fire me."

Martin stopped and his chest heaved with every breath that he took. His face was beet red and he was sweating. His hands tried to cover Reid's but Reid pulled back. Martin's face twisted into a mask of hatred.

"I killed that sorry bitch of a mother after my father was killed in a plane crash. She wouldn't leave me alone. She kept saying that I owed her, that she was my mother and that I owed her. I owed her nothing."

His fists crashed down on the scratched metal table and Reid jumped in surprise. Then Martin became calm again. "I should go down to hell and thank that crazy bitch. When I put my hands around her neck and squeezed the life out of her, I knew what it was like to be powerful. She showed me many things that night. I was the one to show her what it's like to be afraid."

"Where is she Martin?"

"I left her in the desert where no one could ever find her. I left her alone! She hated to be alone. Did you know that?" He laughed.

"I know what it's like to be alone. I know what it's like to have parents that don't care. I know what it's like when your mother hurts you." Reid told him.

"I know… that's why I chose you. You were so smart. You and I are smarter than all of them. I loved the times you stayed after class to help stack books, or clean up, or do extra credit. We had a lot of great talks, didn't we?"

"Yes… we did… I liked it too. I wish we could go back there." Reid said honestly.

"I wanted you from the beginning."

"I know you did, but I was only a child."

"You were more than a mere child, sweetheart. I waited till you were grown because I knew you were only a child and that would have been wrong. That's why I never touched you till now."

"Yes Martin… I know… thank you." Reid said.

Disgust was digging its way into his belly, but a tiny part of him could feel only compassion. Was this what he would have become if not for his own determination not to let the world beat him down?

"I only wanted to love and protect you Spencer." He said.

"I know…" Reid took a deep steadying breath and asked. "Why don't you tell me about the other murders? I can't really appreciate it, if you don't give me all the details."

"Spencer… I know you know the details. I'll bet your technical analyst Penelope Garcia was able to tell you a lot about them. What about the lovely Detective Sorenson? I'm sure that she and the police know all the lurid details."

"I want to hear it from you Martin. When I say thanks, I want to know why."

Martin began to laugh again and his eyes turned cold. "You're trying to trick me Spencer. I know that you don't really care about the details. Do your superiors know that you stabbed yourself to buy time? Do they know everything that happened between us in that room? Did you tell the beautiful Agent Emily Prentiss?"

Reid forced his hands to stay still and not curl into fists. Maybe this had been a really bad idea. He kept his eyes on Martin's and saw the laughter reappear.

"You didn't think I didn't know about her, did you? It's too bad you stopped me Spencer. You see, she was coming between us sweetheart. I would've killed her too. In fact, I think that's where I made my biggest mistake. I should have taken her instead of Steven Jones. You would've have done anything to save her."

They stared at one another while Reid made the galloping of his heart slow down. Then he smiled and said. "I know what you're trying to do and it won't work."

Martin looked a bit surprised and then he threw his head back and barked out laughter. "You know me too well, honey. Fine… if you want to know the gory details, I'll tell you."

He sat back in his chair and told Reid everything about every person he taken tortured and murdered. He told them exactly where to find his mother's body. Reid would wish for a long shower after Martin was done and that was saying something.

--

Emily waited outside the interrogation room. Hearing the details of what Martin Bradshaw had done to his victims had made her stomach turn over. No one had spoken to her when she left, but all of them looked as grim as she felt.

She paced the hallway, ignoring some of the cops that passed by her. The disgust and the pain that had been so evident in Reid's face were more then she could stand.

The door to the observation room opened and JJ walked out. "Hey Emily…"

"I'm sorry… I couldn't watch anymore."

"You don't have to apologize to me or anyone else."

JJ stepped in front of her friend and stopped her pacing. "I should be in there. He needs me to watch. He has to listen to it, so I should watch."

JJ put an arm around Emily and they moved into the room across the hallway, which was an empty office.

"He's going to be okay."

"How… hasn't he suffered enough," Emily cried out anger turned her face puce.

"The strongest souls have the most scars. If that's true of anyone, it's true of Reid."

"I don't know how to help him." Emily said softly. She gave into the tears that no one else got to see. "I just want to help him."

"You do… You help him everyday by loving him. I'm so glad he has you." JJ said.

Emily wiped at her eyes and nodded. "Is it going to be enough?"

"Yes… it will be enough." JJ assured her. "It's going to be tough, but I trust you. I know you'll do whatever you have to do to help, even if you have to make him get up everyday and live."

"Yeah… I can do that," Emily decided, but the tears stayed close to the surface.

"Good… Now don't let him see how upset you are." JJ commanded.

Emily sniffed and then laughed out loud. "Yes ma'am… Let's go back."

JJ led her back to the observation room. It wouldn't be easy to listen to the rest of what Martin would say, but at least Reid's family was there for the end.

--

"Are you happy baby?" Martin asked when he'd finished with all the sad and gruesome details.

"No… I'm not happy… I wish things had been different."

"If wishes were pennies…" Martin said in a bored voice. "I want a lawyer."

Morgan came into the room and helped Reid up from his chair. The man across the table from them kept his eyes on Reid, but refused to speak after asking for a lawyer. Morgan handed Reid his cane and cursed when the younger man's leg buckled, and he fell into the table with a scream of pain. Martin didn't move, nor did his eyes leave Reid. Morgan threw an arm around his friend and helped Reid straighten up. The younger man took his cane and they moved toward the door.

"Spencer… When you close your eyes to sleep, I'll be there." A soft voice said behind him.

Morgan swung around, but Reid stopped him. "All he can do now is talk. Let's get out of here."

Morgan's teeth were held together so tightly, Reid thought he could hear them grinding down to numbs. Then Morgan turned back to the door.

"Yeah kid… You're right… Let's get out of here."


	14. Aftermath

_A/n hello all… Here's the next chapter. You've all been very kind, and extremely helpful in your comments and I thank you. There's one more chapter to go after this one._

_Disclaimer: See the first chapter_

_Warning: See the first chapter_

_**Aftermath**_

Hotch, Rossi, Morgan and JJ entered the coffee shop three hours after the interrogation. The room reminded Rossi of an old fashioned soda fountain in the drug store where he'd grown up. It had the same black and white alternating squares on the floor. The long metal counter top had small, individual juke boxes that were silver to match the counter. The bar stools had red tops and the booths that ran along both walls were red too.

It was late, about ten pm, but there was one familiar person at the booth closest to the door. She looked up and grinned at them over the impressive dish of ice cream in front of her.

"Hey y'all should'a told me you were comin' in here."

"Hi Detective," JJ said.

They joined her in the booth that was just large enough for all of them. "Hey Detective… That's some ice cream sundae you got there." Morgan said grinning at her.

"Bad habit… I wish this place wasn't so close to the precinct. This is my stress relief. I suppose one day it will catch up with me, but for now…"

"Looks great… I'm going to have one." Rossi said.

The others looked at each other and shrugged. "Beats getting smashed," JJ said. "No hangover in the morning."

"No… but there's always the possibility of an ice cream headache," Sorenson said.

They laughed again, and Hotch was reminded of Jack and the last time they gone out for ice cream. His son had loved the chocolate mint flavor Hotch had given him to try. Hotch smiled at the memory of the green ice cream all over his son's face.

A waitress came over to their table and they all ordered. "What the hell… My diet can wait till tomorrow." JJ said.

"That's the spirit." Sorenson said over a spoonful of chocolate ice cream.

Hotch ordered a dish of chocolate mint, and JJ had strawberry. Rossi got a banana split and Morgan ordered something called the High Roller's Supreme. It had just about every flavor imaginable.

"Ya hungry big guy…" Sorenson asked and the others laughed.

"Kicking ass always makes me hungry." He said. "Speaking of which, you guys should've seen the detective this afternoon. She kicked major ass with the precinct jackasses."

"Really…" JJ asked. "What happened?

Morgan told them about what the detective had done to Norton and Jimenez. He embroidered it a bit and made it much funnier than it had originally been at the time.

"I'd pay good money to see that." JJ said looking very impressed.

"It wasn't nothin' that they didn't deserve," Sorenson said as the waitress brought the orders to the table.

"Don't be so modest." Morgan told her over his first bite of the High Roller's Supreme. "You played them like a finely tuned fiddle. You should be a profiler."

"I'd love to… but getting' into the Bureau is tough these days. They prefer college educated and better accents."

"If you really want to get in, I could put in a good word for you." Hotch said.

"Nah… I ain't gonna trade on our relationship like that."

"I'm serious…" Hotch told her.

"I'll vouch for you." Morgan said. "The bureau is always looking for good talent. Now you wouldn't be able to jump right into profiling, but you could work up to it."

Sorenson shook her head, "Sounds cool boys, but I'm not goin' ta use what happened ta Slim as a way ta advance my career."

Rossi slammed his spoon down and vanilla ice cream splashed across the table. "I see how much you want this Detective. You're a good cop. All of us can see that you're not manipulating this situation. If Reid were here, he'd be saying the same thing."

The team nodded in unison. "Okay…" Sorenson said. "I'll apply… but if they decide to tell me no after they hear what y'all got to say, then y'all leave it be." She pointed at each of them in turn.

"Agreed…" Hotch said.

"How's Slim…" Sorenson asked.

"He'll be okay Emily's with him, and I've got something in mind to cheer him up." Hotch said.

"Oh… can I hear your plan."

"Sure… You see it's like this…"

--

Emily helped Reid sit down on the edge of his bed after returning to the hotel room. He was white faced and trembling. His breath wheezed in and out of his nose as though he run the last mile to the hotel.

"Here…" She reached into her purse and pulled out the prescription bottle they'd picked up at the pharmacy. "Sit tight… I'm going to get you a glass of water."

"Emily…"

"Spencer Reid… These are Tylenol. You don't have to worry!"

"I wasn't going to complain. Actually my leg really hurts!" He turned his large beautiful eyes on her.

There were dark circles of exhaustion under his eyes and his mouth was trembling. He'd fisted his hands so tightly, he was white knuckled.

"Lay down… I'll get some water for you."

"Okay…"

--

Detective Anna Sorenson stuck the key to her front door into the lock and turned it. The small click of the lock didn't reach her conscious mind and hearing. There was only one thing, or one person, that occupied her thoughts.

The condo's living room was pitch-black and she didn't turn on the light when she entered. The door slipped shut behind her and she turned the lock. The room was quiet and the darkness was soothing. She liked the dark. It had been her friend for a long time. Her mother used to say that there was nothing in the dark, that wasn't there in the daylight.

She stepped forward with confidence, using what little light there was from the street to guide her past the couch and the coffee table. The plasma TV at the end of the room called to her, offering her temporary escape, but she ignored it.

To her left was the kitchen and to her right was her bathroom, she went right and finally turned on a light when she reached the little bathroom. Right in front of her was a shower and bathtub combo. She had hung a multi colored shower curtain, which had red, and green, and blue geometric shapes all over a white back ground.

The sink was to the left and the toilet to the right. She went to the sink and looked in the mirror over it. Her eyes looked too bright and she was still smiling too widely after her encounter with the team in the ice cream shop.

She shouldn't have let Agents' Hotchner and Rossi talk her into accepting their endorsement of her abilities. She didn't deserve it. Yes… she wanted to be part of the FBI and a profiler, but not this way. She touched her reflection and watched the brightness go out of her eyes. She was frowning now.

It wasn't right, she wasn't right. She was taking advantage of a case that she'd got because she'd been on call one particular night. It could have easily been one of her colleagues that got the call. She lowered her eyes to the sink and hid from her own eyes while washing her hands.

She should call Agent Hotchner and tell him not to endorse her to his superiors. It was the right thing to do.

--

Emily brought Reid a glass of water. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, and trying to get his shoes off with out bending too much and putting pressure in his stitches. The problem was that lifting the leg would also put too much pressure on the leg. Sweat was dripping into his eyes and his face had gone the color of bad cottage cheese.

"Spencer… What are you trying to do to yourself?" She scolded him.

"I'm trying to take off my clothes. I want my pills and a soft pillow if you don't mind."

She bit back the sarcastic reply she wanted to make and handed him the glass of water and the pain medication. He swallowed it and put the glass back on the night table. He was attempting to take off his shoes again when Emily stopped him and knelt down to loosen the laces of his Converse shoes.

"You don't have to do that," He said.

"Yes I do," She pulled off the shoes and then the mismatched socks.

"I can do it from here." He said, struggling to his feet and standing with one foot barely touching the floor.

She sat on the edge of the bed and he looked pointedly at her. "I said I was okay."

"I'm not leaving."

"Emily…"

"No… I'm not coddling your over active sense of modesty. God… we've been sleeping together for a couple of months now. I've seen everything you've got." She said while turning down the covers on the bed.

Instead of turning red and stuttering, he simply undid his belt, unzipped his cords and let them fall to the floor. His tie, sweater vest and shirt followed by his boxers came next. He dropped down on the bed and looked totally forlorn with the large dressing on his right leg.

"Now will you let me help you?"

He didn't answer her except to let her lift his legs and help him swing around till he could slid down and cover up with the bed sheets.

"Thanks," He said.

--

Anna poured the last of her mint tea down the sink and stood looking out the window. The lights were off in the kitchen and the blinds were open. The light from the street obscured her view of the sky, but the view out to the desert was clear. The new development she lived in backed right up to the Nevada desert and she found looking at the sand soothing, usually. Now the migraine she'd been working up to was pounding in her brain like an ice pick on a rock.

She sighed and put down the cup. The pills in her medicine cabinet were calling to her again, and soon she wouldn't be able to resist. The pills always made her feel disconnected and groggy in the morning. She didn't want to take them. She didn't want to sleep.

The relief from pain she could get from her medication was calling to her and it was too hard to say no as much as she wanted to. She filled the cup with water and went to the bathroom. She would take the medication and sleep. Maybe tomorrow would look better! Maybe when she woke up her brain wouldn't be telling her to give up her chance with the FBI.

--

"You can go now Emily…" Reid said. He closed his eyes.

"No…"

"I don't want you here."

Well that hurt! She refused to rise to the bait though, and slipped off her shoes. He lay in the soft light of the bedside lamp without speaking till she'd climbed into the bed next to him.

"Emily… I want to be alone."

"I know," She shifted and lay almost diagonal on her side of the bed so she could put her head on his chest without putting weight on his leg.

"Please Emily…" His eyes were closed and he'd gone white in the face again. A solitary tear tracked slowly down his face. "Why won't you go away? I want to be alone." He repeated.

"Yes… I know you do, that's why I'm not leaving." She moved up and put her head next to his on the pillow.

"You don't always have to be strong." She whispered.

"Yes I do," He said.

"Why…"

"Because I -" He thought and realized that the reason he wanted her to go away no longer existed. He wasn't alone. He had friends and family and Emily.

"I'm sorry. I'm being stupid. I'm just so angry. I hate Martin Bradshaw, but I feel bad for him too. I hate what he did to people I thought I hated for most of my life. I don't hate people Emily or I thought I didn't, and now I realize that I have it in me and it scares me."

"Honey… You're not perfect. None of us are… The only thing we can do is try to live without deliberately hurting others."

She hugged him tight as he cried for all the things he missed, his mother, his father, a childhood that could never come back, and innocence lost in a small shack in rural Georgia.

"It's okay baby…" She whispered in his ear. "Go to sleep and tomorrow will be brighter. I promise!"


	15. Reunions

_A/n hey all… Here's the last chapter. Thanks to all of you for supporting this story. A special thanks to my beta REIDFANATIC for all of her help in keeping this mistake free. _

_Disclaimer: See first chapter_

_Warning: See first chapter_

_**Reunions**_

The sun was high in the sky. It was Saturday afternoon. Reid sat still for Emily, while she helped him with his converse shoes. He couldn't bend his left leg without pain, so she was tying his shoe laces like a mother does for a child. She slapped his shoe and made him get up and grab his cane.

"I told you that I don't want to go back." He complained.

"And I told you that Hotch ordered it." Emily said.

"Why… He knows I don't ever want to see that place again." Tears were forming in his eyes and she hardened here heart against them.

"You know why you have to go back."

"I'm not ready Emily. Why can't you or Hotch understand that," His voice broke and so did her heart. She almost faltered, but the face of Hotch in her mind kept her on track.

"Come on… It will be over soon and I promise you won't be disappointed. Hotch has a surprise for you and I know it will be a good one."

"Please Emily…" He pleaded with his eyes and for a minute not even the threat of Hotch's ice cold temper would make her force him to get into the SUV that was waiting for them. She forced her eyes away from his face and picked up his brown corduroy jacket.

"It's nice to know that you don't trust me Reid. Maybe we should call it quits now that I know you don't trust me."

He put a hand on her arm. "I trust you Emily… Please don't say that. I love you."

"Then come with us… I promise it will be okay. I'm going to be there with you."

He nodded but his hand was trembling. He took the cane and followed her out to the waiting vehicle. Morgan helped him up and Emily got into the seat next to him. Morgan went back to the driver's side and started the truck. The others were in the second SUV and they followed Morgan as he led them back to Reid's high school.

--

Hotch stepped out of the SUV with JJ and Rossi. He watched the door to the second SUV open from behind the dark glasses he wore. Reid was helped out of the truck by Morgan. Reid threw Hotch a nasty look and Hotch tried not to laugh. Reid was pissed as hell, but that would change.

"Hotch…" Reid limped over to his boss with Emily holding his free hand. "Why are you making me do this?"

His voice was trembling and squeaking badly. Hotch put out a hand and touched his young friend on the shoulder.

"Trust me…"

Reid nodded and stood as tall as the cane would let him. Hotch turned his back on him and they struck out across the sidewalk and through the gate to the football field. He rounded the corner of the bleachers at the north end of the field and stepped back to let Reid see the reason they were there. The yellow crime scene tape was gone and all signs of what had taken place four days before were eradicated to the naked eye.

Sitting on the bottom level of the newly painted bleachers was a young man. He was stocky and had brown hair. He didn't turn when they walked up to him. He was turned away from them so they couldn't see his face.

"Who's that," Reid wanted to know.

"Why don't you go see." Morgan pointed at the figure.

"But Morgan…"

"It's okay…" Emily said. She kissed him on the cheek.

Hotch watched him go slowly over to the young man and touch him on the shoulder. The other man leapt up in surprise, pure joy at seeing his friend there. He almost knocked Reid over with his enthusiasm. They hugged each other and began to talk excitedly.

None of the agents or Michael noticed the man watching them with a broad smile on his face. He stepped down from the top of the bleachers and made his way over to the group on quiet feet.

"Thanks Hotch…" Emily had walked to his side and he hadn't noticed. She touched his arm. "This is exactly what he needs."

"I knew that as soon as you told me about Michael Hawke." Hotch said and they watched the two men smile and laugh. "When he's physically healed, I want both of you out of town some where for at least two week. I don't care where you go… Just don't take your phones with you."

Tears collected in Emily's eyes. "Thanks again…"

"He needs a break and he needs you." Hotch said simply. Maybe if he'd paid more attention to Haley…

He pushed that though away and watched the young man he called brother smile a smile that for the first time in a long time wasn't full of suppressed pain and sadness.

--

Reid almost fell over when his oldest friend looked up from staring at his shoes. The innocent grin of his friend immediately lifted his spirits.

"Spencer…" His friend lisped loudly.

Then he was engulfed in a hug. Tears threatened and he choked them back. Michael wouldn't understand and he didn't want to alarm his friend.

"It's good to see you Michael."

"Spencer's early…" Michael said. He looked at his watch. "The Emily woman said one o'clock. It's twelve fifty eight."

"Yeah… I know… but you'll forgive me this time."

"Yes… Michael always forgives Spencer." He said.

"Okay…" Reid noticed the ear buds from the I Pod that Michael had pulled out of his ears.

He sat awkwardly and said. "What are you listening too?"

Michael held out one of the ear buds which Reid placed in his ear. The tune was a familiar, one that he knew the words to.

He started to sing and Michael joined him. It was out of tune, but beautiful to the team who stood and watched a special connection between these two men shine in the light of the warm afternoon sun.

_It was one of those great stories that you can't put down at night. The hero knew what he had to do, and he wasn't afraid to fight. __The villain goes to jail, and the hero goes free, I wish it was that simple for me._

_And the reason that she loved him was the reason I loved him too. And he never wondered what was right or wrong, he just knew, he just knew._

_Shadow and Shade mix together at dawn, but by the time you catch them, simplicity's gone. So we sort through the pieces, my friends and I. Searching through the darkness to find the breaks in the sky. _

_And we wonder yes we wonder, how do you make sense of it all. When the hero kills the maiden, with his kiss, with his kiss. _

Reid didn't notice the way his teammates were smiling and how they began to laugh when they repeated the chorus. If he had noticed, he would have seen the smiles and the laughter for what they were, not the derision of immature school kids, but the light-hearted enjoyment of friends.

The song ended and Morgan said. "You guys going to sing all day or what…"

Michael let go of Spencer and climbed over the seats to Morgan who he favored with a smile and an enthusiastic hug. He greeted Emily the same way and seemed thrilled to meet Rossi, JJ and Hotch.

He turned back to Spencer and said. "Spencer do magic trick for Michael."

Reid rolled his eyes good naturedly. "I don't have a new one for you this time."

"Spencer do magic trick." Michael repeated.

Reid shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "I don't have any coins or -"

"If you need a coin all you had to do was ask," A voice said.

They all turned and Reid smiled at Hank who was standing apart from the group, watching over Michael who grinned at his boss.

"Hank… How did you…"

"Who did you think told your friends about Martin?" Hank asked.

"Right… It's good to see you."

The two men shook hands and Hank pulled a quarter from his pocket. "We can catch up later. Your public waits." He gestured grandly with a bow.

"Yeah…" Emily pulled a pack of cards out of her jacket "Stop making excuses and get with the tricks."

Reid took the cards, grabbed her hand and kissed it like a knight of old and blushed when Michael laughed and began to sing "Spencer and Emily sittin' in a tree."

Reid took the cards out of the box and began to make them fly through his hands like an expert dealer in any casino on the strip. Emily perched on the step next to the two men and took a good look at both of them. She thought the light of the sun made the hair on both of their heads glow as though they were angels sent down from heaven with new halos.

The sky was blue above them, and as they watched the simple wishes fulfilled of a simple man, by one that far surpassed him in intelligence, but not in heart, the sadness of the last days left and they were free for a fleeting moment.


End file.
